Serik Zhumangarin held a meeting on the development of organic products in Kazakhstan

Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of Trade and Integration Serik Zhumangarin was presented with the situation on the development of organic products in Kazakhstan.

The main conditions for the production of organic products are the exclusion of the use of substances of synthetic origin, chemical pesticides, hormones, antibiotics and food additives, minimization of non–renewable natural resources, the use of healthy plant seeds, feed and feed additives in animal husbandry from ingredients obtained as a result of the production of organic products, etc.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, currently the global market for organic products is 120.6 billion euros. The market is actively growing, it has increased 7 times over the past 20 years. In 2025, the projected market volume is expected to amount to 170 billion euros, and annual growth in the next 10 years will be 8%. There are 38 farms certified for the production of organic products in Kazakhstan today.

The main export positions for organic products in Kazakhstan are wheat, flax seeds, soybeans. According to the FiBL and IFOAM ratings, out of 123 countries, Kazakhstan ranks 9th in the export of organic products, 4th among the exporting countries of organic wheat, 6th in the export of organic oilseed flax seeds to the EU.

In 2015, the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan «On the production of organic products» was adopted, the Rules for subsidizing certification costs were approved, 5 national standards in the field of organic production are in effect, the Roadmap for the Development of Organic Agriculture for 2022-2023 is being implemented.

Currently, a new version of the law «On the production and turnover of organic products», initiated by deputies of the Senate of the Parliament, is being considered. The main innovations of the new draft law – the certification object will be only the process of organic production.

In addition to the current individual certification, a group one is offered, which is convenient for small farms. It is supposed to concentrate certification requirements in one document and other innovations. In addition to this document, work is underway on a draft agreement on the procedure for recognizing organic products within the EAEU.

«Despite the fact that the organic law was adopted in 2015, this direction is quite new for Kazakhstan, especially for agriculture. As practice shows, if you do not pay due attention to a new direction in time, then it is much more difficult to catch up. We have good positions in the export of organic products, there is a fairly large layer of work ahead, we will gradually move in this direction», — Serik Zhumangarin stressed.