The Almaty region is one of the key grain-producing areas in south-east Kazakhstan. Wheat, barley, corn, and oilseed crops are grown in the Karasai, Ili, and Enbekshikazakh districts. The problem is a shortage of modern storage capacity: most Soviet-era elevators are worn out or no longer meet modern requirements. Building a new grain storage facility today is both an operational necessity and an opportunity to earn income from storing neighbouring farms' grain.
15,000–25,000 ₸/m³
cost of flat-floor grain storage
storage volume — cost depends on capacity, structure type, and equipment
20,000–35,000 ₸/m³
cost of a silo-type elevator
steel or reinforced-concrete silos with process equipment — dryer, bucket elevators
from 23,500 ₸/m²
flat-floor grain storage (hangar)
steel-frame grain storage construction — Almaty, profi-dom.kz
178 billion ₸
agricultural investment in the Almaty region in 2025
one of the record figures — the market is active, demand for grain storage is growing
Types of grain storage: which to choose
1. Flat-floor grain storage (feed grain warehouse)
The simplest and most economical option. A steel hangar with a reinforced floor and ventilation:
- Principle: bulk grain storage in a 3–5 m layer
- Capacity: up to 5,000–10,000 tonnes in one bay
- Advantages: low cost, fast construction, easy to maintain
- Disadvantages: no automated unloading by variety, labour-intensive operation
- Building cost: from 23,500 ₸/m² (steel hangar)
2. Bin storage
A flat-floor building with conical bins (vessels) inside — partial mechanisation:
- Single bin capacity: 200–1,000 tonnes
- Cost: 18,000–30,000 ₸/m³ of volume
3. Silo elevator (grain elevator)
Tall steel or reinforced-concrete vessels (silos) with diameters of 6–30 m and heights of 10–30 m:
- Capacity: 500–5,000 tonnes per silo
- Full mechanisation: receiving, cleaning, drying, sorting, dispatch — all automated
- Advantages: separate storage by variety/crop, accurate accounting
- Disadvantages: more expensive, requires trained personnel, longer to build
- Cost: 20,000–35,000 ₸/m³ of volume
Components of a full elevator complex
| Unit | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Receiving pit | Initial grain intake from vehicles |
| Primary cleaning | Separators for removing large impurities |
| Bucket elevators (norias) | Vertical grain transfer into silos |
| Grain dryer | Reducing moisture from 20–22% to 14% for storage |
| Silos/bins | Primary storage |
| Aeration system | Cooling grain in silos, preventing self-heating |
| Weighing terminal | Recording intake and dispatch |
| Laboratory | Measuring moisture, gluten content, impurities |
| Dispatch unit | Loading into trucks or railway wagons |
Construction specifics in the Almaty region
Seismics — the main technical challenge
The Almaty region is a high-seismicity zone. For grain storage this is critical:
Flat-floor hangars: the steel frame is calculated in accordance with SP RK 2.03-30-2017. For buildings 8–10 m tall and 24–36 m wide — a full seismic calculation is required.
Silos: tall structures (15–30 m) in a seismic zone require special calculation. When filled with grain — the mass of thousands of tonnes creates significant inertial loads during an earthquake. Mandatory state expert review applies.
Foundation: silos are placed on monolithic slab-and-grade-beam foundations with deep embedment. In the Almaty region — collapsible soils in the piedmont alluvial fan deposits must be accounted for.
Ventilation against self-heating
Self-heating of grain is the main loss mechanism in poorly ventilated storage. In the Almaty region, summer temperatures reach +35–38°C — without active ventilation, grain in a hangar heats up within 2–3 days.
Solution: active aeration — air ducts in the hangar floor, fans. Air supply standard: 50–100 m³/h per tonne of grain.
Construction costs for grain storage
Flat-floor grain storage
| Capacity | Area | Construction cost |
|---|---|---|
| 500 t | ~400 m² | 15–25 million ₸ |
| 2,000 t | ~1,500 m² | 50–80 million ₸ |
| 5,000 t | ~3,500 m² | 110–180 million ₸ |
Steel hangar with reinforced floor, ventilation system, seismic reinforcement. Land not included.
Silo elevator
| Capacity | Composition | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 3,000 t | 6 silos × 500 t + bucket elevators + dryer | 80–130 million ₸ |
| 10,000 t | 10 silos × 1,000 t + full complex | 250–400 million ₸ |
| 25,000 t | Large elevator, full automation | 600 million – 1.2 billion ₸ |
Government support for grain businesses
KazAgroFinance: leasing of grain dryers, bucket elevators, and silo equipment at preferential rates (6–9% per annum with subsidised financing).
Subsidies via the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan: partial reimbursement of grain storage construction costs — subsidy levels are updated annually; confirm with the Almaty region akimat (regional government).
Almaty Region Agricultural Roadmap 2026: 44.6 billion tenge in investment, including grain storage and processing facilities.
Earning income from storing others' grain
We build grain storage and elevators in the Almaty region
StroyHub designs agricultural facilities accounting for the seismics and agroclimate of the Almaty region. Get an estimate within 24 hours.