B. Sultanov held a meeting on the socio-economic development of the Almaty region

During a working visit to the Almaty region, Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan Bakhyt Sultanov held a working meeting on the socio-economic development of the region.

Akim of the region Kanat Bozumbayev voiced a number of problematic issues and possible solutions. In particular, he reported on measures to involve retired irrigated lands in circulation and increase the gross harvest of agricultural products from this category of lands by 35%. The akim of the region also informed B. Sultanov about the progress of the reconstruction of worn-out water supply networks, the continuation of gasification of the settlements of the region, the development of the mining industry, the engineering and transport infrastructure of the city of Taldykorgan, providing affordable and high-quality housing to those on the waiting list, eliminating three-shift education, some issues of managing communal property, organizing public works and teachers' salaries, as well as solving the problems of summer cottages. According to Kanat Bozumbayev, additional budget funding is required to solve a number of the above problems. Akim turned to the Deputy Prime Minister with a request to support the applications of the region.

Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Trade and Integration Bakhyt Sultanov noted that work is currently underway to prepare a draft budget clarification in order to effectively fulfill the instructions of the President of the country, announced at an expanded meeting of the Government.

“All issues will be analyzed by the ministries of finance and national economy. Not a single problem voiced at the meeting will be left without attention,” B. Sultanov said.

He also drew attention to the priority of the work of the akimat to ensure food security, control prices for socially significant goods and modernize markets and bazaars in order to develop the trade sector as a whole.

The working visit of Bakhyt Sultanov to the Almaty region continued with a visit to the checkpoint on the Kazakh-Chinese border "Nur Zholy", the free economic zone "Khorgos - Eastern Gate", "Khorgos" ICBC.

At Nur Zholy, B. Sultanov discussed with responsible specialists, as well as with participants in the process of cargo transportation, the mechanisms of the current procedure for moving goods and systems for improving the process of transporting goods through this point. At the same time, the main attention was paid to the discussion of methods for organizing a single electronic queue for the transportation of goods and a significant reduction in their cost by excluding private freight operators (there are currently two of them).

The challenge was to change the way carriers access freight. To resolve social issues of local carriers and ensure employment, it was instructed to “clear” the queue within ten days, together with the initiative group, excluding non-truck vehicles from it. And also to develop an optimal model for the participation of carriers of various types of cargo.

At a meeting in the office of the Khorgos-Eastern Gate FEZ, he discussed with representatives of the central state bodies and the regional administration the concept of developing cross-border hubs, including the modernization of the Khorgos hub - the Khorgos International Center for Border Cooperation.

Currently, the implementation of a number of investment projects with the participation of Kazakhstani and foreign capital is being worked out on the territory of the Khorgos ICBC: the opening of the production of dairy, hosiery, interior doors, the assembly of upholstered and cabinet furniture, etc.

Bakhyt Sultanov focused on the need to develop a unified system for the formation and development of hubs as places of cross-border industrial cooperation.

“We don't just need duty free. It is necessary to work on the creation of industries, including export-oriented ones. Therefore, the main territories of the hubs should become an industrial and logistics zone. Of course, it is impossible to completely exclude trade and tourist zones. But they should not prevail over production,” Bakhyt Sultanov said.