Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin stated at a government press conference that agriculture is one of the key drivers of Kazakhstan's economic development, but declined to comment on the rise in the dollar exchange rate.
According to the Telegram channel "Politprosvet.kz", he noted that the mining industry, including oil extraction, is no longer the "sail" of the economy due to the decline in global oil prices.
According to Zhumangarin, the growth drivers have become the manufacturing industry, which showed growth of 6.1% for the first time in a long period, transport and storage, as well as construction. At the same time, as the Deputy Prime Minister emphasised, it was agriculture that gave impetus to many sectors, despite ongoing criticism of the industry.
He also reported that the government is developing a new model of economic development, aimed at strengthening the real sector. According to available information, the project will be presented shortly.
Regarding the dollar exchange rate, according to data from the Telegram channel "Exit to the Truth", Zhumangarin stated that monetary policy falls within the mandate of the National Bank, and the government should not raise this issue so as not to provoke public concern.
"Let the National Bank, within its mandate, make statements and adopt policy. The National Bank is absolutely independent in this matter. It makes decisions. I believe the decisions are correct. There is no point in commenting now," he said.
Incidentally, it was previously reported that expert expectations for the tenge exchange rate have worsened amid strong volatility in the currency market. As of 13 August, the market rate for one US dollar is 537 tenge.