The Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan continues its systematic work to prevent violations in trade activities and curb price increases for socially important food products. Regional commissions operate nationwide to investigate intermediary schemes and analyze price chains, enabling the prompt identification of unproductive intermediaries and instances of unjustified food price increases.

Since the beginning of this year, local executive bodies have held 960 meetings of regional commissions. During this work, 2,727 unproductive intermediaries and instances of exceeding trade markups have been identified. Administrative protocols were drawn up for 2,342 cases, and 385 intermediaries were excluded from supply chains. The effectiveness of the commissions has been enhanced by the participation of representatives of the Association of Food Industry and Trade of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the State Revenue Committee, and other government agencies. Manufacturers and entrepreneurs are invited to the meetings, where they are briefed on legal requirements, including compliance with trade markup standards.

In parallel, a joint analysis of electronic invoices is ongoing as part of a pilot project to trace socially significant food products. This tool enables the rapid identification of unjustified price increases and unnecessary intermediaries. Since the beginning of the year, over 10 million supply chains have been analyzed, identifying 914 potential trade law violations.

As a result of this work, territorial departments issued 2,438 administrative orders for exceeding trade markups by over 15 percent under Article 204-4 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Kazakhstan. These orders included 1,267 fines totaling over 50.8 million tenge and 1,171 warnings. The analysis of electronic invoices also identified specific cases of unjustified price increases on socially significant products.

For example, in the West Kazakhstan region, the individual entrepreneur "Zhuldyz" purchased "Iletskaya" salt for 55 tenge per kg and sold it for 90 tenge. The trade markup was 63.6%. In the Ulytau region, the individual entrepreneur Z.M. Baikenzhinova purchased "Shedevr" sunflower oil (1 liter) from Eurasian Foods Corporation JSC and sold it for 1,100 tenge, a 22.22% markup. In the Kostanay region, the individual entrepreneur I.L. Kashchenko purchased onions and sold them at an inflated price of 150 tenge per kg, with a 50% trade markup.

Following the violations identified, administrative measures were taken against these entrepreneurs for exceeding the permissible trade markup in accordance with Article 204-4 of the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Administrative Offenses.

Source : https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mti/press/news/details/1107560?lang=kk