NUR-SULTAN – The Almaty region retained its growth dynamics in all major economic indicators despite the pandemic related restrictions in 2020, PrimeMinister.kz reported.
As a result of the annual renewal of perennial plantations and the intensive orchard development, the gross harvest of fruits increased by 16.6 percent in 2020 compared to the last year. Click on the picture to see the map.
The Almaty region is located to the south-east of Kazakhstan with a population of more than 2 million people (as of the beginning of 2020). The region’s rich natural diversity includes mountains, sands, forests and plains, rivers and lakes. It includes 17 districts and three major cities – Taldykorgan, Kapshagai and Tekeli. Kazakhstan’s largest city Almaty is not part of the region and is a city of republican significance.
The good results were facilitated with state support and the implementation of major projects. As a result, 20 facilities worth 128.7 billion tenge (US$296 million) were put into operation. This created 2,818 jobs.
Photo credit: PrimeMinister.kz.
Some 7.7 billion tenge (US$17 million) was allocated to support entrepreneurs as part of the Business Roadmap.
A program for the development of the Almaty region for 2021-2025 was adopted to ensure the growth of the regional economy in the medium term. The initiative provides 25 target indicators in three areas – “Economic growth in the region,” “Comfortable and safe region” and “Ensuring a new quality of life.”
It is planned that the gross regional product will reach up to 5 trillion tenge (US$11 billion) by 2025. To achieve this, the competitiveness of the manufacturing industry is expected to increase.
The region’s investment portfolio includes 546 projects totaling 5.4 trillion tenge (US$12 billion). Thirty-seven projects will be implemented in the manufacturing industry in this period. This will create 4,500 jobs.
The list of the projects includes the Zhetysu Koi, a meat-packing plant in the Ili district, a Tyson Foods plant for the processing of cattle meat in Kapshagai, poultry factories in Kerbulak and Uygur regions, and an ore processing plant in the Enbekshikazakh district.
As a result, non-resource exports will increase by 8 percent annually, and labor productivity in the manufacturing industry by 6 percent.
Sowing areas in agriculture will be increased. 30 feedlots and 22 dairy farms in 13 districts are planned. This will increase the gross agricultural output to 1.3 trillion tenge (US$3 billion) and the labor productivity 2.5 times over by 2025.
The growth of the industrial indicators was mostly ensured by an increase in the production of drinks by RG BRANDS Kazakhstan company, Coca Cola, the expansion of the assortment and sales of the Hamle Company confectionery manufacture, an increase in the production of flour by Asia AgroFood and an increase in production of crude iron.
In terms of investments, the region also shows positive dynamics. More than 500 billion tenge (US$1.1 billion) is invested in the region annually. Over the past year, the investments in fixed assets reached 680.7 billion tenge (US$1.5 billion), which is 4 percent higher than in 2019.
Forty-two investment projects with more than 3,000 jobs were implemented in 2020.
The invest.alm-reg.kz investment website with a mobile app in Kazakh, Russian and English languages operates in the region. It features information for investors including government support measures, a map of land plots, vacant land plots, ongoing investment projects, hotels, second-tier banks and other options.
The authorities have also implemented the Smart Cities project covering 11 main areas – education, healthcare, social sphere, city management, security, transport, housing and communal services, construction, ecology, business and tourism development and information and communications technology.
