Tokayev: the system of state support for farmers must become transparent

The current mechanisms of state support for farms remain opaque and are exposed to various shadow schemes. This was stated by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at an expanded government meeting. The head of state instructed the government to ensure digital accounting of subsidies and tighten control over the fulfillment of obligations by recipients.

According to the president, the existing model of distributing support requires serious modernization.

“The system of state support for farmers, which is subject to various shadow schemes, must be as transparent as possible. The government needs to complete the integration of information systems by the end of the year in order to establish digital accounting of subsidies and monitor farmers’ obligations,” Tokayev stressed.

He also focused on the situation in livestock farming, where, in his assessment, a number of systemic problems persist and the sector’s potential remains underutilized.

The president pointed to the absence of a clear strategy, low development dynamics, and inconsistent work in the industry. At the same time, a significant share of output is still generated by household and small farms — about 60% of meat and 80% of milk. In his view, such a structure does not contribute to higher productivity.

Moreover, the country has not established a full chain from feed base formation to processing, logistics, and sales. In other words, there is no unified management system in the sector.

“Unfortunately, in 2026 we are forced to speak about such problems,” the president said.

Tokayev also set the task of more actively promoting cooperation among small producers.

“International experience is indicative here. Thanks to a well-built cooperative system, the Netherlands exports agricultural products worth $130 billion. The government should take decisive measures to encourage farmers to unite into cooperatives of a new format. I поручаю to develop a new law on agricultural cooperation by September 1 of this year,” he said.

Another key area named by the head of state was veterinary safety. Without an effective system in this field, sustainable development of livestock farming is impossible, the president emphasized.

According to him, only 27 out of 168 laboratories currently meet international standards. Serious shortcomings are also recorded in the supervision of veterinarians: over the past three years, 30 thousand fictitious livestock vaccination reports have been identified.

“It is necessary to finally restore order in this sphere. Within three months the government must adopt a comprehensive program for the development of veterinary services,” Tokayev concluded.