Azernews.Az

By Trend

Kazakhstan took steps to address some of the challenges it had in the agriculture sector in 2022, and this approach seems to remain high on the agenda of decision-makers in 2023, Trend reports.

One of the key problems, which topped the agenda of the government and decision-makers in Kazakhstan, was the food security issue. Geopolitical risks and uncertainty, rampant inflation, and the post-pandemic economic recovery-induced consumption increase forced the government to pay more attention to guaranteeing security in this sector.

Below are some of the key developments in the agricultural sector of Kazakhstan in 2022.

Investments in new projects

In retrospect, the current year can be labeled as a year of preparation. The government of Kazakhstan, as well as local authorities, tried to reshape the future of the agricultural sector of the country. Significant investments were attracted for implementing various projects to accomplish the objective of guaranteeing the food security of the country.

Kazakhstan expects to implement 800 agricultural projects with a total investment value of 2.6 trillion Kazakh tenge (around $5.6 billion) by 2025, Yerbol Karashukeev, Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan said in December.

By that time, Kazakhstan has already implemented 227 projects with a value of 214 billion Kazakh tenge ($460.1 million), an equivalent of 96 percent of the annual plan.

The minister also highlighted that the Government is working on expanding the capacity of vegetable stores in the country. To meet the existing demand, additional vegetable stores, with a capacity of 135,000 tons, will be built.

An additional 113.6 billion tenge ($244.2 million) has been allocated by the government for the development of the agro-industrial complex of the Kostanay region.

Out of these funds, 45.7 billion tenge ($98.2 million) was allocated to subsidize agricultural producers, of which 13.9 billion tenge ($29.8 million) for crop production, 7.5 billion tenge ($16.1 million) for animal husbandry, and 24.3 billion tenge for other areas ($52.2 million).

This year, the area of spring sowing in the Kostanay region amounted to 4.9 million hectares, including 4 million hectares for cereals and legumes. The areas of oilseeds reached 748,300 hectares and increased by 141,000 hectares compared to last year.

In order to meet the needs of the population of the region in socially significant food products, the areas of such crops as buckwheat, sunflower, potatoes, and vegetables have been increased.

Production numbers

Kazakhstan harvested 486,900 tons of rice by November 2022. After processing, about 221,200 tons of rice groats were sent to warehouses.

The annual demand of the domestic market is about 165,000 tons, which is much less than the volume produced. So, the new crop will be enough to meet the needs of the population of Kazakhstan in rice.

Moreover, the excess crop is exported to other countries. For 8 months of 2022, 67,800 tons were exported.

At the same time, in 2022, the sown area of rice in Kazakhstan amounted to 87,800 hectares, which is 8,400 hectares less than in 2021. The main reason for the decline in production is the problem with irrigation water needed during the growing season.

Minister of National Economy of Kazakhstan Alibek Kuantyrov noted that Kazakhstan recorded a growth in agricultural production.

The gross output value of agriculture increased by 8.2 percent. The positive rise in production was recorded in 16 regions. The Kostanay, Akmola, Mangystau, and North Kazakhstan regions showed the greatest growth rate," Kuantyrov said at a government meeting.

As the minister noted, positive growth on all indicators is observed in Kostanay, Akmola, Jambyl, East Kazakhstan, and Kyzylorda regions, as well as in Almaty and Shymkent cities.

Some 8.07 trillion tenge ($17.2 billion) accounted for agriculture alone, including 5.1 trillion ($11.02 billion) accounting for plant growth, and 2.9 trillion tenge ($6.2 billion) - for animal husbandry.

The increase in the agriculture, forestry and fishery gross output during the reporting period was due to the increase in egg output by 4.9 percent, milk by 1.8 percent, and plant growth by 12.7 percent.