The Ministry of Agriculture is developing a package of amendments to the Rules for lending to projects in the agro-industrial complex, which will spell out the conditions for the acquisition of agricultural machinery by agricultural cooperatives within the framework of the Auyl Amanaty program. This was reported by the press service of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The decision to make changes was made based on an analysis of the results of the “Auyl Amanaty” program for 2023 and as a result of appeals from regional residents. To date, of the available microloans allocated to villagers last year in the total amount of 100 billion tenge, 82.4 billion tenge have been disbursed. Of these, 80% were spent on the development of livestock farming, 5.2% on the purchase of machinery and equipment, and 4% on crop production.
At the same time, the “Auyl Amanaty” program gave impetus to the development of agricultural cooperatives in the country. Last year, 407 cooperatives were created, most of all in Turkestan (75), Aktobe (71), Karaganda (53), Kyzylorda (51) regions. And the regions are raising the issue of obtaining affordable borrowed funds for existing agricultural cooperatives to purchase equipment on lease under this program.
“The draft amendments to the Subsidy Rules provide for the possibility of leasing equipment by agricultural cooperatives at 2.5% per annum and for a period of up to 5 years. Financing will be provided from the republican and local budgets. For the purchase of agricultural equipment under the program by cooperatives, we are increasing the funding standard,” said Vice Minister of Agriculture Azat Sultanov.
In turn, Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin set the regions the task of assisting in the creation of 1-2 agricultural cooperatives annually in each district of the region.