Today, during a government meeting, Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov, received a report on the progress of the harvesting campaign and fodder procurement in Kazakhstan, QazMonitor reports.
"As you know, the summer was dry, leading to several regions being affected. There will be a reduced crop harvest in those areas. To mitigate the consequences of the drought, prompt measures have been taken, including the allocation of funds from the government reserve. The holding company Baiterek is tasked with addressing the issue of prolonging and restructuring debts for agricultural producers affected by the drought," the Prime Minister stated.
He emphasized that the situation is under control.
The harvested crop will certainly be sufficient. Kazakhstanis will not be left without any bread. However, climatic changes and water deficits are posing serious challenges to agriculture. Therefore, it is necessary to develop a roadmap to enhance the rational use of water resources. Regions should actively implement water-saving technologies.
The government has allocated 426 thousand tons of diesel fuel at a price 15% lower than the market price. The budget includes 140 billion tenge for credit and 81 billion tenge for the forward purchase of the new grain harvest.
"This year, 20 billion tenge has been allocated to increase the authorized capital of KazAgroFinance for financing the purchase of forage harvesting equipment and mobile irrigation systems," stated the PM.
He stressed that, under the current conditions, fodder procurement requires special attention.
"To date, favorable rates of fodder harvesting have been achieved in the Kostanay, Turkestan, Zhambyl, and North-Kazakhstan (92.9%) regions, as well as in the Almaty region. However, lower rates have been observed in the Pavlodar, East Kazakhstan, Abay, Atyrau, West Kazakhstan, and Mangistau regions. These regions, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, need to intensify their efforts and prevent any unjustified increases in fodder prices," the Prime Minister urged.
He instructed the Ministry of Agriculture and the local akimats (administrative bodies) to ensure a timely harvesting campaign, the removal of grain from the fields, and the preparation of storage sites.
Secondly, the akimats of the regions should take all necessary measures to procure high-quality fodder and hay reserves for the winter period while maintaining stable prices. Thirdly, the Ministry of Energy should maintain constant control over the timely provision of POL [petroleum, oil and lubricants - QM] during the harvesting period.