Crucial to provide Kazakhstan with own food products - President

ASTANA. March 1. KAZINFORM Kazakh Government takes active measures to support the development of small and medium businesses. They are the establishment of a legislative framework, reduction in the number of permits, minimization of state bodies' checks. Head of State Nursultan Nazarbayev said it at the meeting with media representatives on February 28 in Astana; Kazinform refers to the Presidential press service.

On the ease of doing business Kazakhstan ranks 59 among 183 economies. In his State-of-the-Nation Address the President of Kazakhstan set the goal to increase the share of small and medium business in the country's GDP to 40 percent.

Special attention was paid to the development of rural territories. N. Nazarbayev noted that it was one of the key tasks of Kazakhstan Development Strategy till 2020. For the past five years KZT 670 billion was allocated from the national budget for the rural areas development program. KZT 120 billion was given for implementation of 'KazAgro' investment projects. As a result 27 projects were launched, 1,200 new jobs were created. A number of social facilities were put into service: new schools, hospitals, water supply infrastructure. Today our goal is to ensure further development of agriculture. For instance, it is planned to export 60 thousand tons of meat in 2016.

"Our goal is to provide Kazakhstan with own food products, as well as to expand export opportunities of domestic farmers. It will promote development and prosperity of our villages," the President emphasized.