ASTANA, Kazakhstan, May 2. Kazakhstan has concluded contracts with Uzbek and Tajik suppliers for the procurement of potatoes and onions, said the Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan Arman Shakkaliev, Trend reports.
He made a remark following a meeting to discuss measures to ensure price stability for socially important food products and vegetables in the off-season, chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov.
"For three weeks in a row, price indices for socially important goods have been declining, amounting to minus 0.3 percent in April. However, in the off-season, we traditionally see an increase in prices for vegetables. To stabilize prices, we contract directly with suppliers from Uzbekistan and Tajikistan at competitive prices, excluding intermediaries and resellers. This work is carried out by QazTrade. Thus, contracts for the supply of imported vegetables were concluded with nine social and entrepreneurial corporations for a total volume of 4,000 tons of potatoes and onions, including 2,060 tons of potatoes and 1,940 tons of onions," he said.
According to him, the government recommended that the regional executive authorities contract at least 18,600 tons of potatoes, 7,200 tons of carrots, and 5,000 tons of onions.
Meanwhile, the volume of gross agricultural output in 2023 exceeded 8.2 trillion tenge (about $18.9 billion). Over 16.6 million tons of grains, 2.1 million tons of oilseeds, and 5 million forage crops were harvested.
In addition, over 200 investment projects worth 164.5 billion tenge (about $358 million) have been launched in the agricultural sector of Kazakhstan in 2023.