The Kazakhstani government has pledged year-round access to locally grown vegetables at reasonable prices by the end of 2025. This commitment was made during an extensive meeting chaired by Vice Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin, as reported by Premierminister.kz.
As part of comprehensive anti-inflation measures led by the Ministry of Agriculture, a project is underway to construct a greenhouse complex for vegetable cultivation on protected soil. This initiative aims to stabilize prices and ensure a steady supply of domestically produced vegetables at affordable rates, with the project scheduled to launch in the upcoming year.
Zhumangarin has instructed for the active sale of vegetable reserves, with the Ministry of Trade and Qaztrade assisting farmers from the Zhambyl region in selling 130 tons of onions at reasonable prices.
Despite being in the off-season, produce prices have remained relatively stable, with February's annual food inflation at 7.4%, notably lower than the five-year average of 9.3%. However, prices for cucumbers and tomatoes have seen a significant increase, attributed to low domestic production and significant import reliance during this period.
According to the National Statistics Bureau, cucumbers rose by 14.8%, tomatoes by 8%, sweet peppers by 5.4%, and bananas by 3.8%. Currently, tomatoes are being imported from Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and China, while cucumbers are imported from Uzbekistan, China, Iran, and Turkey.
Aidar Abildabekov expressed optimism about a massive harvest from southern greenhouse farms soon, which is expected to lower vegetable prices.
Additionally, Abildabekov highlighted ongoing efforts to investigate intermediary schemes in the trade sector to curb price manipulation.
Source: kz.kursiv.media