Kazakhstan’s Interdepartmental Commission on Foreign Trade Policy has announced new measures to support domestic enterprises, including export bans in energy and metallurgy sectors, QazMonitor reports citing the press service of the Government.
During the meeting, the Commission decided to impose a ban on the export of scrap and waste of ferrous metals through the "Zhaisan" (Aktobe region), "Aksu" (Kostanay region), and "Auyl" (Abay region) railroad checkpoints.
“This collective decision is a response to the current scarcity of raw materials to sustain domestic processing plants and the implementation of restrictive measures by neighboring countries on scrap metal export,” the press service informs.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Construction, in 2023, around 1.9 million tons of ferrous scrap were collected, while the total domestic market demand reached 3.9 million tons. Therefore, enterprises processing scrap and waste ferrous metal operated at an average capacity of 35%.
Moreover, the ban on exporting gasoline, diesel fuel, and specific petroleum products has been extended for six months to safeguard Kazakhstan’s energy sector and ensure national security.
The Commission also examined the draft of WTO’s Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement. This document aims to enhance the investment and business climate, streamlining procedures for investors involved in creating new enterprises, considering the interests of developing and least-developed countries. WTO member states plan to adopt a joint declaration finalizing negotiations on the Agreement during the WTO 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13), scheduled for February 26–29 in Abu Dhabi.
In addition, the Commission supported proposals to re-examine and extend the anti-dumping measure against cast aluminum wheel rims imported from China into the territory of the Eurasian Economic Union until December 26, 2024. Kazakhstan has substantially increased its production of cast aluminum discs, showing a 128% growth from 544 to 1,242 tons between 2018 and 2022. In the first 10 months of 2023, the production volume of cast aluminum wheels reached 1,255 tons.
The meeting participants also considered proposals to alter the customs duty rates on eucalyptus pulp, terephthalic acid and its salts, as well as dried coconut imports.