Prime Minister Askar Mamin chaired a meeting of the Council on the Transition to Green Economy under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Minister of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources Magzum Mirzagaliyev and Minister of Agriculture Saparkhan Omarov told about measures to improve the environmental situation and reported on the development of sustainable and high-productivity agriculture in the framework of the Action Plan of the Concept for the Transition of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Green Economy for 2013-2020, Akims of Aktobe region Ondasyn Urazalin, Mangystau region — Serikbay Trumov, Nur-Sultan — Altay Kulginov and First Deputy Akim of Almaty Yerlan Kozhagapanov reported on the measures to improve the environment and promote the green economy in the regions. Comments were made by Yakup Berish, Permanent Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Kazakhstan.
As part of the transition to a green economy, in order to stimulate the implementation of modern irrigation systems, measures have been taken to reimburse agribusiness entities 50% of the costs of infrastructure supply and purchase of irrigation systems, subsidizing a 10% interest rate on loans and leasing. By 2022, it is planned to increase the area of irrigated land to 2 million hectares. At the same time, work will continue to reduce the area of water-intensive crops such as rice and cotton.
In order to stimulate the introduction of advanced greenhouse technologies by farmers, a special investment passport has been developed, which provides for the acquisition of appropriate equipment systems and integrated solutions. Investment subsidies have been introduced with a reimbursement of 30% of the costs of building and expanding greenhouse complexes. The volume of the greenhouse production market increased 2.4 times from 90 thousand tons to 216.9 thousand tons, and the area of greenhouse farms increased 2.1 times from 575.9 ha to 1236.7 ha.
Currently, out of 180.1 million hectares of pasture land, 106.2 million hectares (59%) are irrigated. To stimulate the development of rangelands, investment subsidies have been introduced up to 80% of the cost of creating irrigation infrastructure. In the period 2014-2019, 5,978 wells were built for irrigation of pastures, with a planned indicator of 3,633.
In the knowledge dissemination centers of the National Agrarian Research and Education Center NAO and on the basis of advanced agricultural enterprises, about 1,400 seminars were held with the participation of over 25 thousand students in all areas of agricultural development, including the implementation of the principles of green agriculture.
The meeting participants considered issues of improving the waste management system, developing renewable energy sources, reducing air pollution, including through gas supply to settlements and the development of clean transport.
The Council approved the draft Roadmap for Comprehensive Solution of the Environmental Problems of the cities of Nur-Sultan and Almaty. The document provides for the modernization of TPP-2 and TPP-3 in Almaty, the construction of gas supply pipelines to TPP-1 and TPP-2 in Nur-Sultan, the conversion of hot water and energy boilers to gas, the tightening of licensing procedures for cutting down trees, an increase in the area of green plantings, further transfer of public transport, utility vehicles to gas and electricity, as well as other measures.
Source of information: https://primeminister.kz/en/news/premer-ministr-a-mamin-provel-zasedanie-soveta-po-perehodu-k-zelenoy-ekonomike-pri-prezidente-rk-245580
