The Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Serik Zhumangarin, reported that expenses on food and beverages account for approximately half of all consumer spending by Kazakhstanis, as conveyed by a correspondent from the Kapital.kz business information center.
“When analyzing the structure of food expenses, 8% is spent on bakery products and grains, about 17% on meat, and 5% on milk and dairy products. Expenses on vegetables, fruits, sugar, and confectionery products each make up 4%,” said Serik Zhumangarin during a government hour in the Senate.
He emphasized that the share of spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages remains at around 50% of the overall consumer expenditure structure.
For comparison, in Luxembourg and the Netherlands, slightly over 8% of their expenditures go to food, while in the United Kingdom, it is 10.5%.
Additionally, Serik Zhumangarin discussed Kazakhstan's dependence on the import of certain products.
“We are capable of self-sufficiency in basic food products at 80-100%. This includes meat, milk, eggs, vegetables, and flour. However, for a number of goods, we remain reliant on imports: poultry meat at 73%, sausage products at 60%, fish at 54%, cheese and cottage cheese at 57%, and sugar at 42%,” he reported.
To reduce reliance on imports, projects are being implemented in the country for the construction of dairy farms, poultry farms, and processing enterprises, as well as mechanisms for preferential financing are being introduced.
The Vice Prime Minister noted that Kazakhstan has significant potential in the agro-industrial complex, including 219 million hectares of agricultural land.
“Every year, we produce more than 18 million tons of grain, of which over 7 million tons are exported, along with more than 3.5 million tons of milk and about 1 million tons of meat,” he concluded.