Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin listened to the proposals of the Ministry of Agriculture on improving the effectiveness of the phytosanitary control system in Kazakhstan.
Specialists, equipment, laboratory equipment and the Internet at the posts are key elements of the proposed reform of the phytosanitary system in Kazakhstan. The system of phytosanitary inspection in the regions is divided into two main areas: plant protection (control of locusts and other dangerous pests, plant diseases) and plant quarantine (control of export-import quarantined products).
Territorial inspectors are responsible for plant protection, and quarantine inspectors are responsible for phytosanitary control at the border. With an annual increase in the volume of work, the number of quarantine and territorial inspectors is not growing. Moreover, there is an acute shortage of phytosanitary specialists on the ground.
"Currently, out of 77 existing phytosanitary quarantine posts, five are not monitored at all due to the lack of specialists, and 22 posts do not have attached inspectors, inspectors from district or regional inspections are sent there. The shortage of full–time quarantine inspectors is more than 150 people, and more than a hundred territorial plant protection inspectors. Also, for effective work, it is necessary to create modular or stationary laboratories at border checkpoints," Vice Minister of Agriculture Yermek Kenzhehanuly said.
More than half of the fleet of equipment in territorial inspections, which is necessary for timely detection of locust outbreaks and control, is worn out. At least 86 pieces of equipment are needed to upgrade. There are not enough quarantine laboratories. In particular, there are only 18 laboratories operating on the basis of the Republican Plant Quarantine Center, while the number of examinations conducted is growing annually: 27 thousand in 2022, 28 thousand in 2023, and already 30 thousand in 9 months of 2024.
"Due to the lack of Internet at 32 phytosanitary quarantine posts, documents are issued in paper form. In addition, without the Internet, specialists will not be able to access the EASU system to verify documents that have arrived and crossed the border," Yermek Kenzhehanuly explained.
The meeting also announced a draft reform of the structure of the phytosanitary service aimed at improving the effectiveness of control of locusts and dangerous plant diseases.
In order to increase transparency and traceability of veterinary and phytosanitary documents between Kazakhstan and Russia and in the perimeter of the EAEU countries, integration between the Unified Automated Management System and information Systems of the EEC and the Russian Federation is being completed.
Vice Minister of Agriculture Baghlan Bekbauov noted that thanks to integration, Russian specialists will be able to see in their information system information about issued veterinary and phytosanitary accompanying documents (phyto/veterinary certificates), have access to a single database of permits for import, export, transit of controlled goods, as well as to the register of organizations and persons engaged in production, processing, storage of goods. Thus, after the integration of information systems, the problem of verification of phyto and veterinary certificates will be solved.
"Work has already been carried out on the test connection to the National Gateway and messages have been successfully delivered to the EEC circuit. Work is underway to refine the functionality. It is planned to join the EEC information system this year," Baglan Bekbauov said.
The Vice Minister also said that the EASU is developing a module for the traceability of crop production, similar to the Vet Monitoring module in the farm animal Identification system. This year, it is planned to launch the traceability module in crop production in a pilot mode, and next year it will begin implementation.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/moa/press/news/details/874216