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A lawmaker suggested to "turn on the printing press" for farmers.

Serik Egizbaev stated that the chronic lack of funding for farmers has become a systemic issue.
Депутат предложил запустить печатный станок для поддержки сельского хозяйства.

Deputy Serik Egizbaev stated that the chronic lack of funds to meet the state's obligations to farmers has evolved into a systemic issue. He expressed this in a parliamentary inquiry addressed to Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov and the Chairman of the National Bank, Timur Suleimenov, as reported by a correspondent from the business information center Kapital.kz.

Serik Egizbaev pointed out that "by the end of 2024, subsidies amounting to 296 billion tenge remain unpaid, and debts to farmers continue to grow." For 2025, there is an additional need for 110 billion tenge.

"Farmers are waiting for their applications to be fulfilled for up to 2 years. Due to delays in payments from the state, they are forced to cover expenses with expensive loans from second-tier banks, worsening their financial situation," he noted.

The deputy reported that over the past six months, issues concerning the improvement of the agribusiness financing system, including subsidy debts, have been discussed by the Committee on Agrarian Issues six times, with recommendations and proposals developed for the government.

"In November 2024, the head of state instructed the government to organize the procurement of grain from farmers through the Food Corporation in volumes sufficient to stabilize market prices. However, the execution of this crucial directive for farmers has been unacceptably delayed," he stated.

According to Serik Egizbaev, the government's decision project is still in the development phase of the working group.

"For all inquiries, we always receive the same response - there is no money! When proposing to increase the money supply, they cite inflation risks. But any student from an economics faculty knows that inflation is the money supply not backed by goods, while our agrarians have put more than 26 million tons of just grain on the market," he explained.

Serik Egizbaev added that in Belarus, state support for the agricultural sector is twice as high as in Kazakhstan.

"In this situation, we propose that the government and the National Bank make a bold and unconventional decision to increase the money supply, or simply put, turn on the printing press at least to the volume of the gross agricultural product produced, and provide agrarians with conditions for normal operation. Against the backdrop of the government's shift from subsidizing farmers to providing accessible credit, such an approach will help agrarians adapt more smoothly to the new economic conditions," emphasized Serik Egizbaev.

In 2024, agriculture led the growth rates among other sectors of the economy. This was made possible by a significant increase in preferential lending for spring planting activities. This year, at least 700 billion tenge needs to be allocated for their implementation. This was stated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at an extended government meeting.

Earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture commented on the results of the audit on the effectiveness of subsidies.