WEEKLY REVIEW: Kazakhstan intensifies agro-industry financial rehabilitation efforts, increases state support for technology commercialization projects
On Monday, Vice Minister of Education and Science Takir Balykbayev awarded winners of the technology commercialization projects contest. He also stressed that such projects will get additional state support. 16 projects worth KZT 710 mln won the contest.
"The Agriculture Ministry of Kazakhstan plans this year to gather 17 mln tons of grain in bunker weight across the country," head of the state agro-industrial inspection committee Saktash Khassenov said on Tuesday.
Irregular rainfalls caused abnormal situation in grain-sowing regions. Above 70% of grains are still flowering.
According to him, this year the average crop yield is expected to reach 15 centners per hectare.
On Wednesday, Head of State Nursultan Nazarbayev held a meeting on urgent issues concerning the country's socioeconomic development.
PM Massimov, Head of the Presidential Administration Nigmatulin and Aide to the Kazakh President Orynbayev took part in the meeting.
Those gathered focused on the country's socioeconomic development for the past seven months, progress of realization of measures aimed at Kazakhstan's accession to the top 30 developed countries of the world, and priority tasks for the period ahead.
The President stressed the need to hold an enlarged Government sitting on key economic and social issues.
Besides, the meeting addressed various aspects of possible influence of situation in Ukraine and related international events on the country's economic development.
Following the results of the sitting the President gave certain tasks.
"Kazakhstan has seen a decrease in infectious diseases incidence this year," Kazakhstan's top sanitary official Zhandarbek Bekshin on Wednesday.
He announced at the Wednesday press conference in Astana that number of cases of Hepatitis C has more than halved over the past six months. "There is a 37% decrease in meningococcal disease, a 33% decrease in bacillary dysentery, a 20% decrease in Hepatitis B and a 12.6% decrease in tuberculosis," Bekshin added. In his words, 5 cases of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever were registered in Kazakhstan in last six months, compared to 8 cases registered in the analogous period of 2013. Over 300 projects worth of KZT 200 billion (nearly $1 billion) have been implemented in Kazakhstan with the support of KazAgro Holding, its first deputy chairman Kairat Aituganov said.
"It's been 7 years since the holding was set up," Mr. Aituganov said at the Thursday press conference in Astana. "Over the years the holding has provided financial support to the amount of KZT 200 bln to 326 projects in Kazakhstan." In his words, this year KazAgro Holding also provided a KZT 102-bln loan (or $550 mln) to agricultural companies in Kazakhstan, including KZT 75 bln for small and medium businesses in agro-industrial sector.
In addition, Bekshin lauded Kazakh Government's efforts to support prevention measures financially.
The Kazakh Tourism Industry Committee proposed on Thursday to form a relief fund to help tourists return home in case of bankruptcy of travel companies.
As earlier reported, more than one thousand Kazakhstanis failed to leave Turkey early July this year due to financial difficulties of Kazakhstan's largest Gulnar tour company. Thanks to the coordinated efforts of government agencies, air companies and tour operators all Kazakhstani tourists returned home safe.
