Government will take into account all business proposals in development of new economic policy — Alikhan Smailov

The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Alikhan Smailov, held a regular online meeting of the Council of Domestic Entrepreneurs with the participation of representatives of private business, NCE Atameken and the leadership of central government agencies.

The participants of the meeting considered the Government’s draft economic policy for the medium term, which involves ensuring greater economic freedom, diversifying the economy, increasing export potential and labor productivity, ensuring macroeconomic stability, developing healthcare, education and social protection.

“It is important for us that, thanks to economic growth, the well-being of our citizens increases, their incomes grow. Moreover, economic growth must be sustainable. In this regard, we, first of all, want to focus on the development of entrepreneurship. At the same time, all other areas are also structured and reflected in this document. Therefore, if business representatives have specific proposals, we are ready to take them into account,” the Prime Minister said, urging the business community and civil society to take an active part in its discussion.

Also at the meeting, issues of the development of the agro-industrial complex, metallurgy, the transport sector, energy, tax administration and others were considered.

In particular, problematic business issues were voiced by Dosym Besbay, Director of EPG Education LLP, Aidarbek Khodzhanazarov, Director of Olzha Agro LLP, Nikolay Radostovets, Chairman of the Committee for the Geological Industry, Mining, Coal Mining and Metallurgical Industry of the Presidium of NCE Atameken, and partner of the investment company Vizor Kazakhstan Almas Chukin.

As part of the discussion on the regulation of agriculture, the Prime Minister pointed to omissions on the part of the relevant ministry.

“The Ministry of Agriculture does not properly explain what it is doing, so entrepreneurs form a distorted understanding of what is happening. We did not have a decision to ban the export of wheat! Neither soft nor hard. We introduced restrictions in the form of a quota, but we drew it above the volumes that we usually exported,” said Alikhan Smailov.

According to the Head of Government, if Kazakhstan exports about 350,000 tons of grain per month, then the quota will be reduced by the end of September this year. was set at a level above 500 thousand tons per month, so as not to restrict existing export agreements, but to provide preventive protection against uncontrolled mass exports of food grains.

Alikhan Smailov also touched upon the issue of reforming the system of subsidizing the agro-industrial complex.

“We are reviewing all budget expenditures in terms of increasing their efficiency, including in the agricultural sector. We need to direct money to things that will stimulate productivity growth in agricultural producers. These are investment subsidies, cheaper interest rates on loans, we want to make them even more affordable. We do not want to reduce the financing of agriculture, but, on the contrary, we want to increase it, but at the same time, in order to benefit the economy and the country as a whole, increase the return on each budget tenge,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

Summing up the meeting, Alikhan Smailov thanked all the participants for their comments and suggestions.

“We must move forward together. If there are any constructive proposals, we will always hear them and will take them into account in our work. I would like to confirm once again that the leading role in the implementation of all planned transformations belongs to business. Together with the business community, the Government will continue to improve business conditions and create prerequisites for the growth and development of the economy of our country, improving the well-being of our citizens,” the Prime Minister concluded.

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