Kazakhstan’s Organic Regulation Officially Admitted into the IFOAM Family of Standards
In September 2025, the Kazakhstan national organic standard (part of the law on the production of organic products CT PK 3111-2023 and CT PK 3942-2023) becomes the latest member of the IFOAM Family of Standards. The Family of Standards certificate was officially awarded during the Organic Expo Central Asia Forum, a recent regional event held between 26-27 September in Almaty, Kazakhstan, that brought together organic stakeholders from Mongolia and five Central Asian countries. On behalf of IFOAM - Organics International, Arsen Kirimbekov, Director of the Union of Organic Producers of Kazakhstan (an IFOAM - Organics International member), handed over the certificate to the representative from the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture during a ceremony integrated into the event.
The approval of the Kazakhstan organic regulation is the result of a years-long process of international cooperation. In 2020, IFOAM - Organics International assessed the 2017 Kazakhstan standard against the COROS under the framework of a German-Kazakhstan policy dialogue project. Several recommendations were made for the improvement of the standard. Kazakhstan revised its organic regulation, and the new (2023) regulation was passed in 2024.
In 2025, the German-Kazakh Agricultural Policy Dialogue project, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Regional Identity, commissioned another COROS assessment of the new national standard. The assessment has concluded with a positive outcome concerning the equivalence of the Kazakhstan organic standard to COROS, noting significant improvements in the most recent revision. Not only does the revised standard facilitate compliance of Kazakh producers, but it also promotes higher integrity of organic products for Kazakh consumers. It will serve as a key instrument for developing the national organic market in Kazakhstan.
In the months to come, IFOAM - Organics International will continue to support Kazakhstan in the improvement of its organic regulatory framework, particularly the conformity assessment rules to enable effective implementation of the national organic standard.
