The Ministry of Agriculture reported on the return of land and the reduction of the pasture shortage. At the briefing, the FBQ editorial team asked for clarification on what results this work has brought to specific auls and how the agency assesses its effectiveness. The answers concerned mainly the area of plots, while information on livestock numbers was promised to be provided in writing.
WHAT HAPPENED
At a briefing at the Central Communications Service (CCS) under the President, the chairman of the Committee for Land Resources Management of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Murat Temirzhanov, spoke about the return of unused land and land provided in violation of the law. The protection of the rights of bona fide farmers, the state of soils and the digitalisation of the provision of plots were discussed separately.
According to the speaker, thanks to the measures taken, the pasture shortage compared with 2023 decreased from 8.4 million to 2.4 million hectares. The ministry also emphasised that the use of land should provide rural residents with permanent work.
In this connection, we asked whether the agency has data on the growth of livestock specifically in those auls and rural districts whose residents gained access to redistributed pastures.
Temirzhanov began by clarifying the statistics we cited: since 2022, 15.6 million hectares have already been returned to the state. He then referred to state support measures and the comprehensive plan for the development of livestock farming, stating that growth in livestock numbers "certainly should be" occurring.
The chairman of the committee attributed specific data on the number of livestock to the competence of another department of the ministry and promised to send the editorial team a written response.
HOW THE EFFECTIVENESS OF LAND RETURN IS ASSESSED
We also asked whether the ministry has specific indicators of the effectiveness of the return and redistribution of plots, beyond the number of hectares returned.
Temirzhanov answered in the affirmative. According to him, the committee's task is the effective redistribution and subsequent rational use of land.
In confirmation, the speaker reported that 13.5 million hectares have already been redistributed. Of these, 5.5 million hectares have been allocated to common pastures for the rural population, and a further 8 million hectares have been provided to farms on a competitive basis.
"I think that these figures are the most important result of the work," Temirzhanov stated, explaining that the land is being re-involved in economic turnover.
Thus, the assessment of effectiveness in the answer to our question was linked primarily to the area of the plots transferred. He did not specify by what criteria their subsequent rational use, which the chairman of the committee himself spoke about, is measured.
WHAT WAS STATED ABOUT THE PROVISION OF LAND WITHOUT A COMPETITION
Another question from FBQ concerned agricultural land provided without holding competitions. We asked for their area over the past and current year, their share in the total volume of plots provided, and the grounds for such transfer.
According to the chairman of the committee, current legislation excludes the provision of such land without a competition. Temirzhanov suggested that the editorial team report known facts of plots being transferred without competitive procedures so that the agency could respond and take the necessary measures. The requested statistics were not given in the answer.
At the same time, it was announced at the briefing that electronic competitions are being prepared. The ministry hopes to increase the transparency of land provision and reduce the influence of the human factor by eliminating the functions of the land commission.
To test the new system, a technical pilot is being prepared in Akmola Region and Zhetisu Region.