Kazakh Senate calls to reconsider country’s agro-industrial complex dev't programs

By Trend

Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Senate Dariga Nazarbayeva advocated the need to reconsider the program for development of country’s agro-industrial complex due to the decline in production and stagnation in the sector, Trend reports with reference to the press office of Senate.

Nazarbayeva made the remarks at the meeting with leadership of Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurship and KazAgro National Management Holding.

It was noted that two trillion tenge ($5.2 billion) was spent on subsidies within the framework of existing state programs for agro-industrial complex development; however, the industry’s main indicators did not increase and even significantly stalled.

“Kazakhstan is an import-dependent country in terms of goods processing. This negatively affects country’s food security, and constant changes seriously affect agricultural producers,” the report said.

Lack of coordination between government agencies was also noted. Weak system of veterinary support was also named as one of the key problems in animal husbandry development.

“Numerous reforms in veterinary medicine have significantly weakened control over veterinary conditions in the country, as evidenced by the increasing incidence of dangerous animal diseases outbreaks. Another problem is falsification of reporting statements,” the report said.

The issue of the agricultural machinery service was also raised during the meeting. As an example, the work of service centers in other countries was noted, where even the most complex repairs according to the standard take three hours to solve, whereas in Kazakhstan the repair time varies from 12 days to three months. In this regard, it was proposed to reconsider the operating conditions of agricultural machinery service companies.

Nazarbayeva noted that state support is needed in this issue, due to the fact that expensive service, in turn, will affect the cost of end product.

Another problem raised during the meeting was the need to make amendments to the current legislation regarding the simplification of the unused agricultural land withdrawal.

Following the meeting, Nazarbayeva ordered the Committee on Agrarian Issues, Nature Management and Rural Development to study issues raised during the meeting and prepare agenda for discussion at the parliamentary hearings.