For 2024, Kazakhstan's agro-industrial complex (AIC) delivered mixed results: on one hand, Kazakh farmers harvested a record crop; on the other, the Supreme Audit Chamber uncovered embezzlement and misuse of subsidies totalling colossal amounts.
Despite the positive indicators, the sector needs greater control and transparency in the use of public funds. The editorial team at FBRK has compiled the results for the agricultural sector.
Agriculture remains one of the key sectors of Kazakhstan's economy, determining the well-being of millions of people. More than 37% of the population lives in rural areas, and their prosperity directly depends on the level of agricultural development.
The state actively supports the agro-industrial complex, allocating significant funds for concessional financing, subsidies, and leasing of agricultural machinery. These measures yield results: in 2024, the country's farmers harvested a record crop of grains – 26.7 million tonnes of grain and 3.2 million tonnes of oilseeds. This testifies to the high level of preparation for field and harvesting work.
Special attention is paid to the accessibility of financing for farmers. This year, the volume of concessional lending reached a record 580 billion tenge, and in 2025 it is planned to increase it to 700 billion tenge. All these measures are aimed at stimulating agricultural growth, updating machinery, and reducing dependence on imported products.
Over the past year, the fleet of agricultural machinery was renewed by 5%, and dependence on imported poultry meat was halved. This has a positive impact on supplying Kazakh citizens with fresh produce and increasing the productivity of the agro-industrial complex as a whole.
However, alongside successes, there are serious problems. The Supreme Audit Chamber discovered the inefficient use of 146 billion tenge. Violations were found in a number of financial transactions; materials on specific cases have been handed over to law enforcement agencies. This undermines trust in support for the sector and the state's efforts to create favourable conditions for farmers.
In particular, in the Almaty region, more than 1.2 billion tenge in subsidies were stolen. In connection with this case, the head of the public association "Shanyraq", Almasbek Sadyrbay, was detained.
Furthermore, the audit revealed five million fictitious livestock heads: farmers, when receiving subsidies, provide inaccurate statistics.
In this regard, the Minister of Agriculture, Aidarbek Saparov, announced a reform of concessional lending, involving the replacement of subsidies with loans at 5%. The measure aims to optimise financial support for farmers and represents the most rational approach.
The successful development of agriculture is only possible with strict control over the use of public funds and ensuring full transparency in the work of agricultural organisations. Agriculture should become not only a reliable foundation for Kazakhstan's economy and a guarantee of a prosperous future for its people, but also a sphere where trust and honesty play a key role.