Olzhas Bektenov checks LRT construction progress in Astana

At the Agriculture's Workers Forum, the Head of State assigned the Government to buy grain directly from farmers through the ProdCorporation in a volume sufficient to keep reasonable market prices. Kazakh Agriculture Minister Aidarbek Saparbayev revealed the Kazakh Government will allocate 10 billion tenge from the reserves to acquire 150,000 tons of grain, Kazinform News Agency reports.

It will be bought through the ProdCorporation to restore the plunge in the grain purchasing process.

He said five export contracts worth 20 million US dollars have already been concluded.

Besides, grain shipping subsidy rules are to be adopted soon. Subsidies are expected to reduce freight charges to the ports of the Black Sea, the Baltics, Southeast Asia, etc., to make the country’s grain competitive in Europe, Africa, Caucasus, and other promising markets.

As earlier reported, the country’s first-ever Agriculture Workers’ Forum took place in Astana on November 15. The Minister highlighted Kazakhstan harvested a record-high 26.7 million tons of grain in 2024.

 

In 2024, Kazakhstan reported an 18% increase in pharmaceuticals production, with the output reaching 124 billion tenge. This is what Minister of Healthcare Akmaral Alnazarova said at the Government’s weekly meeting today, Kazinform News Agency reports.

 According to her, there are 43 manufacturers of pharmaceuticals in Kazakhstan.

 

As of October 1, 2024, the number of population in Kazakhstan has reached 20,223,218, having increased by 189,376 in nine months. 12,704,977 people live in urban areas, and 7,518,241 live in rural settlements, Kazinform News Agency learned from the National Statistics Bureau.

278,700 children were born across Kazakhstan from January to September, while the number of deaths was at 99,500. Thus, natural population increase made 179,200.

The highest birth rate is observed in Turkistan region (25.04 births/1000 population), Mangistau region (24.84) and Shymkent city (23.68).

The highest death rate was reported in the North Kazakhstan region (11.52 deaths /1000 population), East Kazakhstan region (11.32) and Kostanay region (10.12), which is explained by the age pattern of these regions’ population.

Meanwhile, 95,000 marriages and 29,300 divorces were registered countrywide in six months.

20,383 people arrived in Kazakhstan and 10,201 left the country in January-September 2024, with the migration balance amounting to 10,182 people.

Compared to the corresponding period in 2023, the number of arrivals in Kazakhstan increased by 6.5%, and the number of departures from Kazakhstan decreased by 19.9%

The number of people moving within the country increased by 47.4% compared to the same period in 2024.

 

The Government shared the key digital achievements in Kazakhstan, as the country marked the Day of Digitalization and Information Technologies on November 10, Kazinform News agency reports.

Kazakhstan occupies 42nd place out of 193 countries in the 2024 UN Telecommunication Infrastructure Index (TII).

The country is placed the highest in the CIS area according to the latest UN Global Cybersecurity Index (GCI), published by the UN International Telecommunication Union.

Over the past 10 years, the number of digital public services has almost doubled in the country, with 33 million services rendered via special apps and services in the first half of 2024. The number of uses of digital signatures via QR codes stood at 8 million and that of identity verification through the Digital ID system was at 18 million in October alone.

 

Sanzhar Adilov has been appointed as the new deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan, Kazinform News Agency reports.

Adilov’s previous position was the head of the Beissenov Karaganda Academy under the Internal Affairs Ministry of Kazakhstan.

Adilov began his service in the internal affairs bodies in 1999, rising to senior positions. In 2019, he was appointed as the chief of the investigative department of the Interior Ministry. In May 2023, he took the position of the chief of the police department of Karaganda region.

Earlier it was reported that Kazakhstan named new judges-coordinators on interaction with mass media.

 

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has arrived in Bishkek to participate in the Summit of the Organization of Turkic States. The Head of State was greeted by the Chairman of the Kyrgyz Cabinet of Ministers - Head of the Presidential Administration, Akylbek Zhaparov, at the Manas Airport, Kazinform News Agency learned from the Akorda press service.

The 11th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States will be held today in Bishkek on the topic "Strengthening the Turkic World: Economic Integration, Sustainable Development, Digital Future and Security for All."

Leaders of the OTS member countries and observer states are expected to participate in the Summit.

The OTS member countries are Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan and Hungary hold the status of observer states. The organization is headquartered in Istanbul.

 

Due to the aggravation of the situation in the Middle East, at the instruction of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, as well as with the assistance from the relevant government agencies, the nationals of Kazakhstan and members of their families have been safely evacuated from Lebanon, Kazinform News Agency learned from the Kazakh Foreign Ministry.

The operation was carried out through the cities of Istanbul and Dubai. From October 17 to 31, 41 nationals of Kazakhstan were successfully evacuated from Beirut to Astana and Almaty.

The evacuation was carried out to protect the interests and rights of the nationals of Kazakhstan who found themselves in the combat areas.

 

In Astana, within the framework of the work of the meeting of the Council of Foreign Investors, chaired by Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, held a number of meetings with participants of the meeting at the government level. They discussed issues of co-operation in the implementation of joint investment projects, cooperation in the oil and gas industry and energy sector, primeminister.kz reports.

At the meeting of Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov with the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Odile Renaud-Basso considered the prospects of the EBRD's participation in major infrastructure projects, including within the framework of the National Infrastructure Plan until 2029. In total, with the participation of the EBRD in Kazakhstan successfully implemented more than 300 projects worth more than $ 11 billion, one of the largest is BAKAD. Attention is paid to co-operation in the field of SME support and implementation of PPP projects. In this area, the EBRD is financing the construction of a 630-bed multi-profile hospital in Kokshetau.

The Government is currently working on the preparation of a pool of large-scale turnkey PPP projects with the involvement of international financial institutions. In addition, the issues of decarbonisation of the economy and joint implementation of projects in the transport and logistics sector, including those aimed at the development of the Middle Corridor, etc. were considered.

During the collective meeting with the representatives of the world's leading energy corporations, topical issues of co-operation in the oil and gas sector were considered. The meeting was attended by the Executive Vice President of Shell Plc. Peter Costello, Senior Vice President for Conventional and Heavy Oil Production at ExxonMobil John Whelan, Senior Vice President for Asia-Pacific at TotalEnergies Exploration&Production Charles Fernandez, Director for Exploration and Production of Natural Resources at Eni S.p.A Luca Vignati.

The companies are part of the NCOC consortium involved in the development of the Kashagan field, the country's largest offshore oil and gas project. Representatives of oil and gas companies noted the wide opportunities for the implementation of investment projects and emphasised the commitment to further expansion of long-term cooperation in the oil and gas sector. The Government of Kazakhstan reaffirmed its readiness for an open and constructive dialogue in addressing all open issues. Following the discussion, the participants of the meeting emphasised the importance of timely implementation of further stages of field development (2A and 2B).