Kazakhstan's Ministry of Agriculture does not expect a sharp rise in beef prices. The average price of the meat nationwide currently stands at around 3,800 tenge per kilogram, while at some markets in Astana it reaches roughly 4,500 tenge, according to infohub.kz.
At a briefing, journalists raised the issue of rising meat prices and asked what to expect in the near future. According to Vice Minister of Agriculture Nazgul Khatepova, the ministry monitors prices at markets on a daily basis.
"On meat prices today, we see from statistical data across the republic that the average price per kilogram of beef, if we are talking about beef, is 3,800. In Astana we also have prices starting from 3,800 to 4,000, and there are higher ones. We also conduct daily monitoring at markets, and we see that at Shapagat, for example, meat costs 3,500, while at Artyom it is around 4,500," Vice Minister of Agriculture Nazgul Khatepova said.
The Ministry of Agriculture believes there are no preconditions for a sharp price jump at present. The vice minister attributed this to domestic production volumes and growth in livestock numbers.
"At the same time, we see no grounds for a sharp increase. That is, the domestic market is fully supplied by our own production. At the end of last year we produced 434,000 tonnes of beef. This year, based on the results of eight months, we also see growth in production volumes, and our livestock numbers are growing. Therefore, we see no grounds for a sharp rise in beef prices," Khatepova added.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that meat prices in Kazakhstan had risen by up to 28.6%.