At a meeting of the headquarters for ensuring economic growth chaired by Vice-Prime Minister – minister of national economy Serik Zhumangarin, issues of development of east Kazakhstan and Pavlodar regions, as well as the agricultural sector, were considered.

The share of agriculture in Kazakhstan's GDP is 3,9%. The task of economic growth of the industry for this year is to ensure +2% to last year's figure. For two months of this year, the volume of gross agricultural output increased by 3,2% and amounted to 434,1 billion tenge. It is planned to achieve the planned indicator through the implementation of approaches of long-term state support for subjects of the agro-industrial complex.

According to Vice-Minister of Agriculture Azat Sultanov, an important factor in the availability of concessional lending for spring field work was the ability to receive loans through SEC (Social and entrepreneurial corporations)  in 2024. Now farmers can receive concessional loans for SFW through six channels: Agrarian Credit Corporation, SEC, second-tier banks, credit partnerships, regional investment centers and MFOs. To date, about 5 thousand applications have been received for a total amount of 367,3 billion tenge. And SEC are leading in terms of the volume of loans issued (39% of the total volume of funds issued).

Along with this, the implementation of the guarantee program in the amount of 85% of the loan amount for spring field work for farmers with insufficient collateral base continues. For this year, 502 guarantees have already been issued for a total guarantee amount of 85,9 billion tenge, the amount of loans amounted to 101,1 billion tenge. For the entire last year, 401 applications were guaranteed for a guarantee amount of 80 billion tenge, the loan amount amounted to 94,2 billion tenge.

In the field of food production, for two months of this year, there is an increase in the production of sugar (from 15,2 thousand tons to 65,6 thousand tons), vegetable oil by 26,7%, sausages by 12%, butter by 11,2%, flour by 6,8% and fermented milk products by 3,5%. For the further development of food production, a Comprehensive plan for the development of agricultural products processing is being implemented.

Within the framework of the plan, 37 investment projects worth more than 30 billion tenge have already been commissioned in 2024. These are enterprises for the production of cheeses, meat products, vegetable oil, cereals, etc. In the next three years, it is planned to implement 58 investment projects worth over 176 billion tenge.

«By analogy with lending for sowing work, it is planned to allocate 48,5 billion tenge at 5% per annum to processing enterprises to replenish working capital», — Azat Sultanov noted.

Following the hearing of the ministry of agriculture, the Vice-Prime Minister set a task for the regions to continue diversifying sown areas, taking into account the recommendations of the ministry of agriculture.

«It is necessary to switch to growing more demanded and highly profitable crops, this is almost the only way to achieve the fulfillment of the set indicator for ensuring economic growth in agriculture. Work on collecting applications for projects for processing and production of food products within the framework of the Government's order for investments is weak. All regions need to bring to the attention of entrepreneurs the possibilities of affordable lending through ACC», — Serik Zhumangarin emphasized.

In the Pavlodar region, for january-february, short-term economic growth amounted to 5,9% compared to the same period last year. A pool of 85 investment projects until 2030 has been formed for 6,8 trillion tenge with the creation of more than 12,3 thousand jobs. Among them are 5 large metallurgical projects that will allow to increase the volume of production of the metallurgical industry in the region by 29,4% by 2028. This is the construction of two ferroalloy plants with a capacity of 160 thousand tons and 240 thousand tons, the Aksu Ferroalloy Plant with a capacity of 89,6 thousand tons, a plant for the production of technical silicon with a volume of 35 thousand tons, and the organization of ferroalloy production in Ekibastuz for 60 thousand tons.

A significant share in the cost structure of metallurgical enterprises is occupied by electricity. At the headquarters meeting, Deputy Akim of the Pavlodar region Dauren Zhambaybek noted that the unified electricity tariff currently in place, regardless of territorial remoteness and connection point, leads to a significant increase in the cost of production and an increase in the production costs of these projects. He raised the issue of the possibility of introducing a single preferential investment tariff for the duration of the investment contract for particularly large projects. In addition, the Deputy Akim indicated the need for financing the connection of engineering and communication infrastructure (ECI) for the implementation of the PC «Kazferro Limited» project, to the industrial zone of Ekibastuz and the SEZ «Pavlodar». The Vice-Prime Minister instructed the Committee for Regulation of Natural Monopolies to consider the issue of electricity tariffs, and to include the application for ECI connection in the general list of regional needs.

In the NKR, economic growth rates for the past two months have already amounted to 11,1%. For 2024-2028, a pool of 51 investment projects has been formed with the creation of more than 7,1 thousand jobs. Of these, 15 were implemented in 2024, and it is planned to commission another 11 for 87 billion tenge this year, with the creation of more than 1,1 thousand jobs.

Deputy Akim of NKR Rustem Kurmanov raised a number of issues that arose during the implementation of investment projects.

First of all, the connection of the necessary engineering infrastructure to subzones and the expansion of the list of priority activities of the special economic zone «Qyzyljar», where 21 participants are registered. Another is the construction of a landfill for solid household waste in Petropavlovsk. This year, the service life of the existing landfill expires, and therefore it is necessary to build a new one. There is already an application for funding from the region, it is necessary to speed up its approval for the allocation of funds.

Following the meeting, the Vice-Prime Minister instructed the Ministry of Economy to prepare, based on the results of the first quarter, lists of engineering infrastructure and bureaucratic barriers in the regions that are hindering the development of investment projects, for prompt resolution at the Government level.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/economy/press/news/details/965416?lang=kk