Kazakhstan PM orders price stabilization, removal of intermediaries in food supply chainsPrime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has instructed the government to build up regional food reserves and ensure farmers can sell their harvests under fair conditions.Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Bektenov called for "the formation of food stockpiles amid the ongoing mass harvest of grains." He directed regional authorities to secure contracts for sufficient volumes of key vegetable products by the end of September.The Ministry of Trade was tasked with eliminating inefficient intermediaries from agricultural supply chains to influence price formation and guarantee fair terms for farmers. The prime minister emphasized "the need to prevent unjustified price increases for staple food items, ordering the ministry and regional governments to use all available tools for price regulation and to implement strict controls."Meanwhile, Minister of Agriculture Aidarbek Saparov reported that Kazakhstan is almost entirely self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs. He stated that food production for the first eight months of the year increased by 10.1% compared to the same period last year, reaching 2.5 trillion tenge. "The rice harvest is expected to meet or exceed last year's level of 500,000 tonNEs, sufficient for domestic demand and export. Buckwheat production is forecast at about 90,000 tonNEs, exceeding national needs due to higher yields," he said.Saparov added that the potato harvest is projected at 2.7 million tonnes, with over 700,000 tonnes of onions and 300,000 tonnes of carrots already gathered. He also noted "positive trends in poultry meat, with domestic production meeting 82% of demand this year, up from 79% last year, and full self-sufficiency in dairy products. The current production volume fully supplies the domestic market with affordable food," the minister concluded. (ICE ALMATY)

Fonte notizia: INTERFAX