Kazakhstan Expands Agri-Loans to Boost Meat Exports

Kazakhstan’s government is set to broaden its preferential loan program to include the meat livestock sector, as part of a strategy to increase agricultural exports, particularly meat.

The current loan program, which offers 2.5 per cent annual interest loans to dairy farms, will now be extended to support beef production initiatives, particularly those adopting Australian cattle breeding models, The Caspian Post reports via Kazakh media.

Kazakh Minister of Agriculture Aidarbek Saparov said that the expanded program is expected to drive the export of up to 50,000 tons of meat annually, generating revenue of around 500 billion tenge. To support this goal, 14 meat sector projects have been identified, with a combined budget of 29.3 billion tenge allocated for their implementation.

Out of 116 dairy farms planned under the existing program, 69 are already operational, while 47 are under construction, the ministry noted.

In addition, and in line with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s directive to double the country’s gross agricultural output, Kazakhstan will launch two new agricultural credit programs aimed at supporting livestock development and strengthening the working capital base of farming enterprises.

The first program will provide 50 billion tenge in loans at 5 per cent interest for the acquisition of pedigree cattle and small ruminants, while the second will allocate another 50 billion tenge for working capital loans under similar conditions.