Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.17
By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:
The construction of 14 additional transport and logistics centers on the total area of 1,067,065 square meters is planned in Kazakhstan before 2022, Vice Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan Azamat Askaruly said, Trend reports with reference to the press office of prime minister of Kazakhstan.
According to him, Kazakhstan ranks 71st in the World Bank’s Logistics Performance Index.
“As part of improving the position of Kazakhstan in this rating, the Ministry of Trade and Integration, together with the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development, is conducting large-scale work to build a multi-format trade and distribution infrastructure aimed at ensuring the development of trade within the country and the possibility of access to foreign markets,” he said.
Askaruly further noted that as part of the development of exports, the system will ensure mutual deliveries of goods, their transit through Kazakhstan, and will also become the basis for creating a single pool of producers together with neighboring countries for export to other countries.
Furthermore, to date, in order to create a trade and distribution system, five wholesale distribution centers are being constructed in Karaganda, Pavlodar, North Kazakhstan, Zhambyl, West Kazakhstan regions with a completion date of 2019. In 2020, there are plans to build distribution centers in three regions, i.e. the cities of Almaty, Aktobe and Semey, with a total area of 96,000 square meters.
“According to the results of 2018, 26 transport and logistics centers operate in the country. The construction of 14 additional transport and logistics centers on the total area of 1,067,065 square meters is planned in Kazakhstan before 2022,” he said.
“One of the main tasks of our ministry is the integration of transport and logistics infrastructure with trade. As the number and quality of such infrastructure facilities increases, the effect on reducing trade costs will increase. This will directly affect the reduction in prices for consumers,” Askaruly said.
The vice minister also emphasized that the focus of the LPI rating is constantly changing. In 2007, when the rating was just published, it primarily focused on simplifying trade and removing barriers to the border. Today, the rating is interconnected by internal logistics factors: socio-economic sustainability of the supply chain, skills and training, and environmental impact.
“In order to improve the country's position in the LPI rating in terms of the possibility of tracking goods by the Ministry of Trade and Integration, within the framework of the PPP project, issues are being considered of introducing an electronic system that allows integrating the Astana-1 IP import-export operations system with the country's transport and logistics system,” he concluded.
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