The Vice-Minister of Industry promised assistance in the work of large industrial enterprises of the West Kazakhstan region

Preferential loans at 1% per annum for the modernization of production enterprises, holidays on loans received for up to 3 years, as well as the creation of a special economic industrial zone that will attract not only investment, but also technology to the region - these and other topical issues for the region's industry were discussed by the heads of Ural plants at a meeting with Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan Amaniyaz Yerzhanov.

The meeting on attracting investment, which was held by Amaniyaz Yerzhanov in the region during his working visit to the West Kazakhstan region, was attended by the heads of large and medium-sized enterprises of the machine-building industry, manufacturing, and food industry.

First Deputy Akim of the West Kazakhstan Region Mukhtar Mankeev noted that on the day of arrival, directly from the plane ramp, Yerzhanov started work-he visited a number of large industrial enterprises of the region of the manufacturing industry, the agro-industrial complex.

- I hope that we are pleasantly surprising you, because we are launching new enterprises that are already successfully operating. According to the map of industrialization, for example, a workshop for the production of tanned leather of Kubley LLP was launched, you saw it, " Mukhtar Mankeev said at the beginning of the meeting. - The prospects for the region are huge. Only in 2020, export contracts worth 3.2 billion tenge were guaranteed through Kazakhexport. I think this is a good start. We border with 5 regions of Russia, and 18 million people live within a radius of 600 kilometers from the West Kazakhstan region. The market is huge, and we should use it.

During the meeting, Vice-Minister Yerzhanov invited the heads of industrial enterprises of the region to share their best practices, problems in production.

Thus, the director of Zenit LLP Vyacheslav Valiev said that his company now intends to reformat its production. He explained that taking into account today's pricing, the defense order for the plant is not only not attractive, but even unprofitable.

- March has already come, but the state defense order for 2021 has not yet been determined, - said the head of the shipbuilding plant. - The team can't wait for this order for months. We are working on the production of equipment for waste processing or incineration plants. We contacted the Ministry of Ecology to find out what policy the state adheres to regarding the disposal of garbage - to burn or still recycle. When we get the answer, we will attract investment, establish new production. We understand that in order to save the company, we need to re-profile it for the production of civilian products.

Valiev said that Zenit and Gidropribor are also working on the option of producing South Korean-built elevators based on these two plants. He noted that the technical potential of the enterprise is high - there are specialists, and the technical re-equipment of the plant will not be very difficult for the team.

In response, Amaniyaz Yerzhanov promised all possible assistance and state support to Zenit in matters of repurposing for the production of elevators or waste-processing equipment.

The head of the engineering consortium of the West Kazakhstan region, Aigozha Kosherbay, shared that at the moment, several new oil and gas fields are being tested in the region - KazMunayGas is conducting well drilling. If the oil and gas reserves are confirmed, then their commercial production will begin. According to him, investors are showing great interest in the oil and gas industry - a large amount of investment is planned here for 2021. Today, the subsoil users-the NCOC company in the Atyrau region are working on a project for the construction of treatment facilities. It is planned to purchase more than 1 thousand rubles. tons of metal structures - and West Kazakhstan companies have already become participants in this project.

It is planned to expand the GP-3 complex at the Karachaganak field. According to the speaker, there are proposals for the reconstruction of GP3 overhead lines for local companies, and enterprises are waiting for tenders for these types of work to be announced.

- When Sklyar came to the region, he promised that a fund to help industrial enterprises would be created in the country, where there would be preferential loans at 1%, but this issue remained in the air. Why? -I addressed a question to the Vice-Minister Aigorza Kosherbay. - Our enterprises need modernization, many plants need preferential loans to replace outdated equipment.

Amaniyaz Yerzhanov replied that the Industrial Development Fund has been established, it has been functioning since October 2020. The issue of granting preferential loans to industrial enterprises through the Fund is under development - these loans will be issued at 1-3% of the annual interest rate.

A number of heads of industrial enterprises of the region said that they need not only long, cheap loans to modernize production, but also holidays on them - for 2-3 years, until the company gets back on its feet and begins to make a profit from the purchased equipment.

Aigorz Kosherbai also drew the attention of the Vice-Minister to the fact that it is necessary to build not just an industrial zone, but an industrial and economic zone in the West Kazakhstan region. WKO enterprises import rebar worth several million dollars from abroad. If the free economic zone was created, the Russians would build a plant for the production of rebar on the territory of the region.

We have amended the law in relation to the industrial zone of Aktobe according to a special procedure that is applied in Turkey. There, the Turkish management company decides on its own what investments, what projects will be implemented in the industrial zone, and what communications it will conduct. There are many preferences that are given for special economic zones. If you want the industrial zone under construction in the West Kazakhstan Region to become one of the free economic zones, I am ready to" punch " for you the same changes as in Aktobe. Work it out and give us your proposals to the Ministry, " Vice-Minister Yerzhanov said.
The head of the Ural Commercial and Industrial Company LLP, Valery Krylov, said that his company participates in projects under state programs for conducting water and gas supply networks, land reclamation as suppliers of polypropylene pipes. However, the tenders do not specify a separate line for the purchase of raw materials, and the contractor - a construction company that wins the competition, takes a commodity loan from UTPC LLP, for which it can be paid for several months or even years. UTPC cannot participate in competitions as an independent service provider - if it has its own equipment and specialists, the company has made only one water supply system in the Zhangali district - this is 150 km of pipes. Now, due to changes in the legislation on public procurement, they have no chance to participate in tenders as a contractor. The coefficient of the tax burden on the construction specifics of the UTPC is minimal.
- We produce pipes, but we cannot participate in public procurement for water supply on an equal basis. We believe that it is necessary to allocate the purchase of raw materials - this is 50% of the cost of the tender - in a separate competition, so that we do not expect money from contractors until the completion of construction, - Krylov made his proposal.
Amaniyaz Yerzhanov noted that this proposal is correct, and he is ready to submit it for consideration in the Government.
The Vice-Minister of Industry and Infrastructure Development told the audience that at the end of 2020, there was a slight decrease in the volume of investments invested in the development of the economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It was possible to minimize the negative consequences of the pandemic through measures to support the country's economic sectors and the investment activity of non-resource sectors and the growth of the real sector, including through the defense state order. Thus, in 2020, almost all sectors of the real sector showed a positive growth rate: in construction, the increase in production volumes was 11%, in agriculture-5.6%, in manufacturing - 3.9%. In general, during the year there was a qualitative change in the structure of the economy - the share of the processing segment in the total volume of production in the Republic of Kazakhstan increased from 39 to 48.8%. New production facilities have appeared in the light industry, automotive industry, and metal products manufacturing. Despite the fact that the borders with China and Russia, the main trading partners of the Republic of Kazakhstan, were closed, the enterprises were able not only not to reduce, but also to increase their export potential.

"The diversification of the economy, aimed at the development of the non-resource sector, made it possible to neutralize the negative consequences of the crisis and become a driver of investment growth in the country," Amaniyaz Yerzhanov stated. - Investments in fixed assets excluding the mining industry increased by 14.8% over the past year. In his Address in September 2020, the Head of State clearly outlined measures to implement the investment policy in the country: we need to fully unleash the industrial potential of the economy of Kazakhstan. When attracting investments, it is necessary to pay attention to the basic sectors of the economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, such as metallurgy, transport and mechanical engineering. For the economy of the West Kazakhstan region, mechanical engineering has always been the driver of development. Companies that work positively in this industry are located in your area. We would like to receive new proposals for new projects in this industry from the heads of enterprises in the region. The state is currently providing measures for concessional lending to new industries within the framework of the "Economy of Simple Things" and "Business Roadmap 2025" programs. There is a program of the National Bank for replenishment of working capital. This year, more than 703 billion tenge is provided for business support under these programs, and I urge the businessmen of the West Kazakhstan region to give their proposals for these programs, so that we can work them out together.
Only in January 2021, according to the Vice-minister, 333 projects worth 60 billion tenge were credited in the country, 326 projects received a guarantee.
He stressed that now the country has good prospects for the development of production in the automotive industry. And the enterprises engaged in industrial assembly of cars, in particular JSC "Agroremmash" should work to expand the model range, increase production volumes. The state is ready to support them in this.
Acting Head of the Department of Entrepreneurship and Industrial and Innovative Development Zhanna Bekalieva reported to the audience that by the end of 2020, the volume of investments in the economy of the West Kazakhstan Region decreased by 21.6% and amounted to 467 billion tenge. The main decrease in the investment flow is observed in the mining industry, due to the reduction of financial costs in the production of foreign companies-subsurface users of KPO b. v. and "Zhaiykmunai", associated with restrictive measures during the pandemic. There is also a decline in investment in trade, construction, and manufacturing.
At the same time, the growth of investment is observed in agriculture - in 2020, the construction of two large greenhouses began in the West Kazakhstan region - the Ural Greenhouse Plant (already put into operation) and the second greenhouse at the stage of completion.
According to the results of 2020, 7 large investment projects worth 18.7 billion tenge were launched in the region. This is in addition to the greenhouse complex, a workshop for the production of panel radiators of Ural Transformer Plant LLP, two DATA centers, a workshop for processing hides of Kubley LLP, a workshop for the production of gas analyzers, a project to expand the production capacity of Ural Poultry Farm LLP.
In 2020, the Regional Council approved the implementation of 19 investment projects totaling 45 billion tenge. There is a portal in the region invest07.gov.kz, where you can find all the information about the potential of the region, free niches in economic sectors, free land plots for construction, empty industrial premises, measures of state support for investors.
- We have identified the Top 10 projects that will be implemented in the region in the near future. So, in the first quarter of 2021, a new furniture factory of Kvant LLP will be launched, now construction and installation work on the project "Construction of an oil refinery" of ABS-Munai LLP has been resumed. BROIKS LLP is engaged in the construction of a greenhouse complex on the basis of an industrial zone. KazArmaprom JSC intends to build a steel casting plant in the region, and Uralsk Trade Company plans to open a dairy plant. We plan to include these and other major projects from the Top 10 in the Industrialization Map, and we will support all projects so that enterprises can take full advantage of state support in implementing their business plans, " Zhanna Bekalieva said.
Mukhtar Mankeev, in turn, stressed that now the akimat of the region has set a task for its subordinates - to reduce the share of large oil and gas operators in the total volume of investments. This work is already proceeding systematically. So, if in 2019 the investment package of the oil and gas sector accounted for 73% of the total investment in the economy of the region, then in 2020 - already 56%.
- We want to increase the share of investments in the sectors of manufacturing, agriculture, and fisheries, - said the First Deputy Akim of the West Kazakhstan region. - There are good programs for the development of fisheries, recently adopted. Just the same, new measures of state support, including the Law "On Industrial Policy", which is being developed taking into account the issuance of industrial grants, the creation of an industrial development fund with its own tools, they should give an impetus to the inflow of investment in the manufacturing sector of the economy. Mechanical engineering has always been a strong industry in the region. But if we take the same plant "Agroremmash", then a few years ago the company was booming, it involved at least 300 people, today, unfortunately, with the lack of orders, it has reduced its staff to 100-150 employees. In this regard, I would like to express my gratitude to you - in 2020, you supported us and signed an agreement on the industrial assembly of cars on the basis of the Agroremmash plant. Now, of course, everything is in the hands of the company itself. We provide all the necessary support. There is a sales market. The potential is there, and our enterprises must reformat and work in the spirit of the times.

Lyudmila Kalashnikova,
zhaikpress.kz