Kazakhstan plans to review the turnover schemes and the work of regional commissions to identify intermediaries

On August 20, 2022, under the chairmanship of Acting Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin, a meeting on price containment for socially important food products was held.

Over the past week, the cost of socially important food products increased by 0.2%. The highest growth: horns (+2.1%), rice, sunflower oil and salt (+1.3%), flour, cottage cheese and sugar (+0.6%). The decrease in prices is noted for the line of vegetable products: onions (-4.6%), potatoes (-1.8%), cabbage (-1.7%) and carrots (-1.5%).

Chairman of the Trade Committee of the Ministry of Trade and Integration Yerzhan Kazanbayev raised the issue of the need to strengthen the work of commissions and monitoring groups operating in the regions on trade allowances. According to him, it is necessary to reconsider the approaches in the work of regional commissions so that they can concentrate on their main task – identifying unnecessary intermediaries who have a direct impact on food pricing.

After hearing the information of the akims, the Ministry of Agriculture on the situation with the provision of basic foodstuffs in the country, Serik Zhumangarin outlined the main tasks for the coming period.

"We have held a session of meetings with associations of the main producers of socially significant food products, we will revise the scheme of financing and distribution of working capital, we plan to switch to contracting schemes directly with manufacturers for five items of NWPT. Our task is to prevent shortages and reduce the growth rate of prices for basic foodstuffs. The main thing is to ensure full control, including over the activities of the regional commissions. The creation of regional commissions to identify intermediaries is an order of the Head of State. It is necessary to strengthen their work at the expense of the resources of the regional departments of the Ministry of Trade and Integration. I instruct the Trade Committee to carry out this work," S. Zhumangarin said.