During the Cabinet meeting, Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov set forth a series of key directives aimed at accelerating the digital transformation of Kazakhstan’s trade sector.
Bektenov announced the official launch of the National Product Catalogue, a system designed to enable comprehensive classification of goods throughout their entire lifecycle-from production or import to wholesale and retail sales, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.
While the integration of the Astana-1 and Electronic Invoices information systems has been completed, the prime minister acknowledged that the current digital product traceability system covers only a limited range of product categories and relies on fragmented reference data and inconsistent formats.
To address this, Bektenov tasked the Ministries of Finance and Trade, together with other relevant government agencies, to intensify efforts for the full implementation of the National Product Catalogue across all sectors. He also urged businesses to actively engage with the initiative.
“Entrepreneurs often complain about the lack of transparency in certification procedures and the duplication of paper documentation. These issues must be resolved through the Technical Regulation Information System (TRIS), which seeks to modernize certification, accreditation, and standardization processes. The Ministries of Trade, Finance, and Digitalization must ensure the full integration of TRIS with related government information systems by the end of this year,” Bektenov stressed.
Regarding product labeling, Bektenov highlighted the importance of the Digital Product Labeling project in protecting the domestic market from counterfeit and low-quality goods, while enhancing the competitiveness of local producers. The Ministry of Trade was instructed to increase awareness among entrepreneurs and to expand the range of products subject to labeling.
The prime minister also underscored the importance of launching an agricultural marketplace and a traceability system to boost economic activity in rural areas. The Ministry of Agriculture was assigned to develop mechanisms to stimulate producers’ engagement through agricultural marketplaces by the end of the year.
Additionally, the Ministry of Trade and KazPost were directed to pilot a B2B electronic commerce platform. The Ministries of Finance and Trade, in collaboration with other agencies, must complete the classification of commodity groups within the general classifier of goods, works, and services by October 1.
The Ministry of Finance was charged with reviewing and updating the regulatory and legal framework to ensure smooth integration of agency information systems with the National Product Catalogue.
Finally, to enhance oversight of trade in essential food products, the Ministry of Trade will pilot the introduction of digital food vouchers in the cities of Kokshetau and Pavlodar by October 1.
