Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov has instructed regional authorities to personally oversee efforts to prevent shortages or price gouging on vegetables during the off-season. The prime minister issued the directive to akimats, according to infohub.kz.
According to Bektenov, building up reserves of vegetables, primarily potatoes, for the winter and spring periods is a priority. He stressed that during the harvest campaign it is important to contract the required volumes in a timely manner, organize their purchase and storage.
"At the same time, surplus products should be directed toward exports. The Ministries of Trade and Transport should assist farmers in finding markets and selling their goods," the prime minister ordered.
Amid efforts to keep prices down on socially important vegetables, the question arises whether Kazakhstan will impose restrictions on potato exports. As Deputy Agriculture Minister Nazgul Khatepova noted, last year the country exported 388,000 tonnes of potatoes. This year, export potential is also expected to reach 400,000 tonnes.
"At the same time, restrictions have been introduced repeatedly: last year and in previous years. This is due to high demand from our traditional importers, in particular from Uzbekistan," she said.
Khatepova added that advance contracting and building sufficient reserves will help maintain stable vegetable prices during the off-season and protect the market from artificial shortages.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that the Ministry of Agriculture does not expect a sharp rise in beef prices. Currently, the average price of meat in the country is about 3,800 tenge per kilogram, but in Astana at some markets the price reaches about 4,500 tenge.