During his working trip to the city of Shymkent, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan met with representatives of the agricultural processing, pharmaceutical and food industries. They discussed issues of current activities and measures to implement the President's message on full disclosure of industrial potential and development of new points of growth of the economy.

Prime Minister familiarised himself with the industrial potential of the city. On the territory of the pharmaceutical plant "Khimpharm" Prime Minister was informed that the production capacity allows producing up to 1 billion units of tablets, capsules and granules, 250 million ampoules of injection solutions, etc. annually. The pharmaceutical enterprise supplies 89 items of medicines. The share of the enterprise in the pharmaceutical industry of the city is 99.2%, in the republic 43 %. The company employs 897 people. Employees are constantly undergoing specialised training and advanced training in European countries. Prime Minister noted the importance of further increasing the share of domestic production in the pharmaceutical industry.

In Altyntobe settlement of Shymkent city during the visit to the enterprise for production of jams and juices "Alan and Company" it was reported that the plant is equipped with modern equipment that allows processing up to 7 tonnes of fruits and vegetables per hour. A drip irrigation system has been installed on 45 hectares of land, and apples, peaches, pears and grapes are grown. The company received state support under the programme "Subsidies for reimbursement of part of the costs incurred by an agribusiness entity in making investment investments".

In order to replace imports, the Comprehensive Plan for the Development of Agricultural Processing for 2024-2028 includes steps to improve the competitiveness of the industry. To this end, it is envisaged to provide processing enterprises with quality raw materials, to actively attract investment to modernise storage capacities and technological equipment, as well as to create additional production capacities. Prime Minister stressed that these measures will provide significant support to the industry and will contribute to increasing the production of domestic processed products. This will help saturate the domestic market and solve the issues of import substitution.

During his working trip Prime Minister also got acquainted with a new plant for the production of soft drinks with the trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company. Coca-Cola Almaty Bottlers joint venture is located on the territory of the trade and logistics centre in the city of Shymkent. The enterprise produces carbonated and non-carbonated drinks and bottled water, the capacity of the plant is 283 million litres per year. The amount of investment in the project is 27 billion tenge with the creation of 100 jobs.

Prime Minister drew attention to the support measures provided to investors on the ground, as well as the importance of constantly improving the quality of their products. Attention was paid to the prospects for further development in the light of the implementation of the tasks set by the President in his Address to the people of Kazakhstan.

"Head of State instructed the Government and Akims to pay special attention to the issue of changing the structure of the economy, to provide for new mechanisms aimed at ensuring sustainable progress of the country. It is important to attract private investment. New enterprises are being opened as it is economically profitable. At the same time, it is necessary to further unlock the potential of industry. We are facing the task of shifting from primary production to the production of higher-value-added products, bringing the share of processing up to 70%. The government in turn will support investors in the implementation of projects important for the country's economy," Olzhas Bektenov stressed.

Prime Minister emphasised the importance of further improving the effectiveness and targeting of existing measures to support business. In turn, the business is expected to be socially responsible in the form of contribution to environmental protection, improvement, modernisation of schools, kindergartens and other social facilities.

#Olzhas Bektenov #The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan #Economy #Industry #Regions #Working trip