The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Alikhan Smailov, familiarized with the activities of a number of agro-industrial enterprises and met with the heads of agricultural enterprises in the region during his working visit to the Almaty region.

The Head of Government visited the export cluster of Fruit Art LLP, aimed at the deep processing of fruits and berries using innovative technologies. The company's finished products are delivered to the markets of developed countries (food industry and retail chains), including the EU, the United States, Japan and South Korea.

Alikhan Smailov noted that due to good climatic and geographical conditions Almaty region is one of the largest producers of agricultural products in the country.

According to him, creation of new processing agro-industries will boost the inflow of investments into the region. It is very important that the storage and sale of products of local agricultural producers is ensured

Later, the Prime Minister held a meeting with heads of agricultural enterprises in the region to discuss issues of subsidies, working capital, expanding access to water and gas, procurement of feed, veterinary drugs, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, agricultural machinery, etc.

Alikhan Smailov said that supporting farmers is one of the priorities of the government's work.

"Earlier it was planned to change the system of subsidies to leave only those subsidies that directly affect productivity. But in consultation with farmers, we came to a compromise and decided to retain some of the existing subsidy standards. Producers, for their part, must supply citizens with quality products at affordable prices," he said.

In the coming years, the Government will allocate additional funds for the modernization and construction of canals and hydraulic structures to improve access to water for farmers, Alikhan Smailov added.

Then the Prime Minister familiarized himself with the work of Nauryz Agro KZ LLP broiler poultry farm, launched in 2022 and capable of producing up to 15 thousand products per year. The company, which meets all international standards, has its own hatchery and is currently building a meat processing plant.

Alikhan Smailov noted that the poultry farm is important not only for the region's economy, but also for supplying Kazakhstanis with natural domestic foodstuffs.

"Food security is one of the main challenges today. The regional Akimat needs to support such projects to improve the competitiveness of their products and increase employment in the agro-industrial complex," he said.

In addition, the Head of the Government visited the enterprise Mareven Food Tien Shan LLP, engaged in the production of convenience foods, which are supplied to both the domestic market and to neighboring countries. The plant employs 850 people. Last year, a new line for the production of soft drinks was commissioned here. The production capacity was 78 million bottles (lemonades etc.) per year. In addition 90 jobs were created.

According to Alikhan Smailov, this modern plant is an example of successful implementation of the project with foreign participation. 

"To date, more than 70% of production is exported, which shows the high potential for development of the food industry in the region. In this regard, the local authorities need assistance in the modernisation and expansion of existing enterprises," he stressed.