Deputies of the Ak Zhol faction in the Majilis proposed abandoning the scheme for allocating subsidized diesel fuel for farmers, replacing it with direct subsidization of costs. This was stated in a request to the First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar by Majilis member Erlan Barlybayev.
It is planned to allocate 401 thousand tons of diesel fuel for sowing this year. The final price for farmers will be set at 15% lower than retail prices. As the head of the Ministry of Energy previously stated, as prices at gas stations rise, the price for agricultural producers will rise proportionally, but the 15% discount will remain unchanged.
To ensure transparency and control over the movement of diesel fuel, the Ministry of Energy has introduced a number of measures. These include: introducing separate PIN codes for agricultural producers; coloring diesel fuel in different colors; creating a separate virtual warehouse for diesel fuel in the electronic invoice system.
"These measures, instead of the expected efficiency, will lead to bureaucratization of the fuel and lubricants procurement process, increase the administrative burden, fuel and lubricants production costs, complicate the prompt provision of fuel in the midst of spring field work and create additional administrative barriers and burden on agricultural producers, forcing them to provide farms with storage places for the allocated "colored" diesel fuel, which will increase their financial costs," noted Erlan Barlybaev.
According to him, as a result, farmers will freeze working capital and travel significant distances to obtain fuel, which will offset the expected savings from the 15% discount.
In this regard, the deputies proposed introducing a mechanism for direct subsidization of 15% of fuel and lubricants costs after providing supporting documents on their purchase. They also ask to eliminate excessive administrative barriers that impede access to fuel and lubricants during the sowing and harvesting period.
“This approach will provide agricultural producers with flexibility in choosing a supplier, including based on their location, and will significantly simplify the fuel supply process without creating additional bureaucratic obstacles,” said Erlan Barlybaev.