Kazakhstan Advances National Programme to Restore Historic Aport Orchards

Kazakhstan is continuing the implementation of its roadmap for the restoration of Aport apple orchards, with plans to plant an additional 100 hectares of the renowned variety by 2027. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the total area of new Aport plantations will reach 110 hectares, reports Kazinform, a partner of TV BRICS.

The programme is being carried out jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture and the Administration of the President of Kazakhstan. The initiative is based on long-term scientific research conducted by national specialists to preserve and restore the country’s traditional apple variety.

Between 2006 and 2011, researchers from Kazakhstan’s leading horticultural and plant protection institutes carried out field studies of the Sievers apple and Aport varieties. During expeditions in the Zhongar-Alatau and Ile-Alatau State National Nature Parks, scientists collected 30 forms of wild apple trees. Following laboratory work and molecular analysis, they identified 11 rootstock-scion combinations with matching DNA profiles and produced healthy planting material.

In 2015, an experimental orchard covering five hectares was established in the Pomological Garden using the resulting saplings. The orchard produced its first harvest in 2022. Researchers also identified unique forms of the Sievers apple containing natural genetic resistance to major plant diseases, creating new opportunities for sustainable cultivation.

A further 10-hectare orchard was planted in 2025 at the Talgar regional branch of the research institute. Specialists are currently preparing high-quality planting material for future expansion. The Ministry of Agriculture also noted that the Aport variety has been proposed as Kazakhstan’s priority crop under the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations’ "One Country One Priority Product" initiative, highlighting its importance to the country’s agricultural heritage.