28/10/2009

Government of Kazakhstan has made a decision on reduction of tariffs on Kazakhstani grain shipment to the ports of the Black and the Baltic Seas, stated Akylbek Kurishbaev, Minister of Agriculture.

‘The Prime-Minister has decided on reduction of tariffs, its mechanism will be elaborated and offered by the Ministry of Transport and Communications,’ sites zakon.kz portal.

As per Kurishbaev, ‘our traditional grain importers – Afghanistan, Iran and states of Transcaucasus and Central Asia – the capacity was reduced from 16 to 8 mn tons at these markets due to heavy yield’.

‘We predict to export 5-6 mln tons of Kazakhstani grain to the aforementioned markets maximum, and it is natural that we have to look for other ways,’ highlighted Minister of Agriculture.

He explained that ‘the ports of the Black and the Baltic Seas are the main export directions this year’.

‘We have to proceed to the countries of Europe, Asia, Mid East and Northern Africa through these ports, but the problem was that grain shipment was very expensive and thus our prices in the port were not competititve,' stated the Minister.

As per Kurishbaev, the additional 5 bln tenges allowed for within the amendments into the budget a connected with ‘reduction of tariffs for grain shipment to the ports of the Black and the Baltic Seas’. through these ports. But the problem here was that grain shipment was very expensive and thus our prices in the port were not competitive,’ stated the Minister.