Kazakhstan's greenhouse defies climate with homegrown tropical bananas and dragon fruit

From Turkish saplings to towering banana trees, one farmer's experiment is turning Kazakhstan's arid plains into a tropical oasis. Now, officials want to scale it up.

, and Administrator

2026 April 18 . 10:02 AM

1 min read

The image shows a close up of a banana tree with a bunch of bananas growing on it, surrounded by... — The image shows a close up of a banana tree with a bunch of bananas growing on it, surrounded by other plants and trees in the background.

Banana Farming in Turkestan: Local Entrepreneur Grows Exotic "Cavendish" Variety

Kazakhstan's greenhouse defies climate with homegrown tropical bananas and dragon fruit

Turkestan Region is now cultivating "Cavendish" bananas and other exotic fruits, reports our website, citing the regional administration's press service.

Arman Abdullayev, the akim (governor) of Saryagash District, visited a greenhouse operation in the rural district of Zhartytobe and praised the work of a local entrepreneur growing tropical fruits. The district head emphasized that such initiatives bolster the regional economy and advance agricultural development. The Department of Entrepreneurship and Agriculture has been tasked with promoting the produce in local markets.

In a 1,000-square-meter greenhouse in the village of Lyntymak, the world's most popular banana variety—"Cavendish"—is now ripening. The saplings were imported by entrepreneur Shams Tursynbayev from Turkey in 2019 and successfully adapted to Saryagash's climate.

Tursynbayev has been in greenhouse farming since 1995. For years, he grew vegetables, but in 2019, he shifted his focus to tropical fruits. Today, his "Cavendish" bananas yield abundant harvests, with leaves reaching three meters and stalks up to ten meters tall. The entrepreneur notes that the project aims to demonstrate the fertility of local soil and contribute to the growth of the region's agribusiness sector.

Beyond bananas, the greenhouse is also acclimatizing papaya, lemon, orange, mandarin, coffee, and pitaya (dragon fruit). The plants are cultivated under controlled conditions, with regulated temperature and humidity.