Baku, Azerbaijan, July 1
By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:
Kazakh Agriculture Ministry expects local farmers will export about 10,000 tonnes of beef in 2014, the ministry reported on July 1.
"Last year, Kazakh agricultural producers exported over 1,346 tonnes of beef. Export volumes of high-quality beef in 2014 will reach about 10,000 tonnes," Agriculture Minister Asylzhan Mamytbekov said at a briefing following discussion of the results of the program on Development of export potential of cattle meat in the government.
Since the start of the project in 2011, some new export-oriented livestock farms for 97,500 head of cattle have been built in Kazakhstan. The construction was paid for by the funds of Kazakh National Managing Holding KazAgro and the funds of owners/entrepreneurs.
The farmers purchased more than 174,000 heads of breeding cattle in this period, and more than 477,000 heads of breeding livestock are involved in the process of species transformation. The proportion of cattle in farms increased from 12 to 22 percent as a result.
The project envisages support and development of farms engaged in the beef cattle breeding and creation of the conditions for expanded reproduction of commercial herds. A program on concessional lending called Sybaga was initiated in order to meet this goal. The farmers can get credit in the simplified scheme using the purchased cattle as a deposit.
Mamytbekov also said that about 4,000 pit and tube wells are planned to be constructed in Kazakhstan to ensure full use of the pasture potential in the country. The country will reimburse up to 80 percent of costs for their construction.
Edited by C.N.