The Government Ensured 6.2% GDP Growth in the First Half of the Year
Images | Depositphotos
At the Government session chaired by Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, the results of socio-economic development and execution of the republican budget for the first six months of the current year were considered, primeminister.kz reports.
Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin presented a report on the current economic situation. Chairman of the National Bank Timur Suleimenov reported on the implementation of fiscal and monetary policy, and Minister of Finance Madi Takiyev reported on the execution of the republican budget. Reports from the Ministries of Industry and Construction, Agriculture, Transport, Trade and Integration, Energy, Labour and Social Protection, and akims of several regions were also heard.
According to preliminary data, the GDP indicator reached 6.2% for January-June 2025. The growth rate is increasing in the sectors of construction, trade, industry, and communications.
The Prime Minister focused attention on the task set by the President for consistent economic diversification and ensuring its long-term and sustainable growth. In this regard, the importance of comprehensive steps being taken by the Government to stimulate business activity, develop infrastructure, and implement digital technologies was emphasized.
In the framework of implementing the President’s instructions to ensure economic growth, the Government is taking systemic measures. Their implementation has a positive effect. Active investment attraction made it possible to launch a number of the most important infrastructure projects in various sectors. Just one example - the Head of State launched the first supercomputing cluster in our region. Its application will accelerate full-scale digitalization and transparency, including in solving many economic issues," Olzhas Bektenov said.
To ensure further stable economic growth, the Prime Minister gave a number of instructions. The necessity to achieve target indicators for investments in fixed capital and direct foreign investment was noted. In this regard, the task was set to more actively use Regional Investment Headquarters. Special attention must be paid to export-oriented projects aimed at producing high value-added products.
To ensure sustainable growth of the manufacturing industry, instructions were given to increase the utilization of domestic enterprises, including through long-term orders, and to supply production with the necessary raw materials. At the same time, work must continue on creating the appropriate engineering and transport infrastructure in the territories of special economic and industrial zones. Olzhas Bektenov emphasized the importance of actively attracting funds from international financial organizations.
To further expand the country’s transit potential, a task was set to accelerate activities aimed at increasing the capacity of transport corridors.
This includes high-quality reconstruction of more than 4,000 kilometers of highways in the coming years, modernization of checkpoints, implementation of new projects within the framework of the Trans-Kazakhstan railway corridor, and creation of international air hubs. These measures will make it possible to double freight traffic by 2028," Olzhas Bektenov emphasized.
In addition, in order to timely prepare for the harvesting campaign and heating season, instructions were given to increase the volume of domestic transportation. To create sufficient and high-quality stocks of agricultural products, the Prime Minister gave instructions to prepare effective schemes for the logistics, storage, and sale of the harvest.
Interested government bodies must submit proposals for the creation of a specialized agro-food marketplace to form a digital infrastructure in order to support the development of the trade sector and the access of Kazakhstani products to foreign markets.
In the oil and gas sector, instructions were given to complete the full commissioning of the Future Growth Project (FGP) and the Wellhead Pressure Management Project (WPMP) at the Tengiz field, and to accelerate the implementation of ongoing projects for the construction of gas processing plants.
The Prime Minister instructed central and local executive bodies to ensure the high-quality implementation of the Comprehensive Measures for Control and Reduction of Inflation.
Price stabilization is an important priority of the work of the Government and akimats. The regions must intensify efforts to saturate the domestic market with products and identify unproductive intermediaries. There are effective tools for this in the form of stabilization funds, forward contracts, subsidies, and price stability assurance. In addition, it is necessary to expand the areas sown with priority crops intended for the production of socially significant food products. The implementation of large-scale activities in all areas and sectors is a solid foundation for further sustainable economic growth," Olzhas Bektenov said.
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.
relevant news
Government Debt Management Council set up in Kazakhstan
The Ministry of Finance, jointly with the National Bank and the Ministry of National Economy, announced on Monday the establishment of a consultative and advisory body - the Government Debt Management Council, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The decision is part of the implementation of a set of measures aimed at ensuring the sustainability of public finances and improve the balance of macroeconomic policy of Kazakhstan for 2025/27.
The Council will focus on developing measures aimed at increasing the depth, liquidity, and efficiency of the government securities market, reducing the cost of public borrowing used to finance the budget deficit, and forming relevant benchmarks for the quasi-public sector and corporate issuers.
The key objectives of the Council include adopting coordinated decisions on government debt management, developing the government securities market, and shaping issuance policies in domestic and international markets, taking into account macroeconomic conditions and debt sustainability.
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.
Kazakhstan and Thailand Strengthen Political Dialogue and Expand Economic Cooperation
Images | gov.kz
Margulan Baimukhan, Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Kingdom of Thailand, held a meeting with Eksiri Pintaruchi, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. The parties reviewed the current state of bilateral relations, noting the steady growth of cooperation and the high level of trust between the two countries, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.
The Ambassador emphasized that Kazakhstan and Thailand have built a solid political dialogue supported by active exchanges of visits and the consistent expansion of the legal framework. Over the past two years, the sides have signed agreements on visa-free travel, trade and economic cooperation, and memorandums covering digitalization, tourism, agriculture, and international development.
Both sides expressed mutual interest in further strengthening political contacts and expanding cooperation in 2026, noting the importance of enhancing interagency coordination across key areas of the bilateral agenda.
Economic cooperation was central to the discussion. Kazakhstan remains Thailand’s largest trading partner in Central Asia, accounting for around 70% of Thailand’s trade with the region. Opportunities for expanding trade in agriculture, mechanical engineering, energy, and tourism were reviewed.
The Kazakh side underlined significant export potential in grain and meat supplies, particularly in the context of Thailand’s initiative to establish a regional food hub. The parties also stressed the importance of finalizing agreements on investment protection, avoidance of double taxation, and veterinary and plant quarantine regulations.
Collaboration in subsoil use and rare-earth metals was highlighted as a priority. Kazakhstan, holding substantial reserves of strategic raw materials, proposed exploring joint projects to meet Thailand’s growing demand for high-tech inputs.
Digital cooperation was another important area, including digital trade, fintech, cloud technologies, cybersecurity, and smart logistics. The Kazakh side presented its initiative to establish a UN ESCAP Digital Solutions Center to be located in Almaty.
Transport connectivity was addressed as a key component of the partnership. Currently, 23 direct flights per week operate between Kazakhstan and Thailand, carried out by Air Astana, SCAT Airlines, and Thai AirAsia X. The new Shymkent-Bangkok route launched in December has further enhanced logistical and tourism ties. The parties also noted the potential of the Middle Corridor and future multimodal transport links under the China-Laos-Thailand railway project.
The Ambassador acknowledged the growing tourist flow from Kazakhstan to Thailand and expressed gratitude for the support provided in opening the Consulate of Kazakhstan in Phuket, with the official inauguration planned for January 2026.
The sides reaffirmed their aligned positions on major international issues and their readiness to enhance cooperation across multilateral platforms.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Ambassador M. Baimukhan stressed that Kazakhstan views Thailand as a key partner in Southeast Asia and remains committed to deepening political dialogue and expanding economic cooperation.
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.
Kazakhstan Strengthens Dialogue with Kuwait in the Energy Sector
Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the State of Kuwait Yerzhan Yelekeyev met with sheikh Nawaf Saud Al-Sabah, Chief Executive Officer of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, to discuss prospects for strengthening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan reports.
During the meeting, Ambassador conveyed a letter of invitation from the Minister of Energy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Yerlan Akkenzhenov, inviting sheikh Nawaf Al-Sabah to visit Kazakhstan. The proposed visit aims to facilitate in-depth discussions on potential areas of cooperation and partnership between Kazakhstan and Kuwait in the oil and energy industries.
The meeting underscored the mutual interest of both sides in expanding dialogue and exploring new opportunities for collaboration, including the exchange of expertise and the development of mutually beneficial projects in the energy sector.
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.
Kazakhstan produces over 1mn tons of meat in 11M2025
Kazakhstan’s livestock industry is showing steady growth across all key areas, Qazinform News Agency learned from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Positive dynamics is observed both in the number of farm animals and in the volume of products manufactured.
The cattle population increased by 2.7% to reach 8.3 million head. The number of calves rose to 2.8 million, which is 17.8% more compared to the same period last year.
The horse population grew by 6.9% to 4.4 million head, with 1 million foals born (an increase of 8.8%).
The number of camels rose by 6.3% to 300 thousand head, with 53.8 thousand camel calves (+5.9%).
The poultry population increased by 8.8% to 48.5 million head.
The sheep population reached 19.6 million head, with 7.7 million lambs born, showing a 5% increase.
During the reporting period, the country produced 1,021.6 thousand tons of meat of all types, which is 3% higher than in 2024. This includes: 358.8 thousand tons of beef (351.4 thousand tons in 2024), 111.8 thousand tons of mutton (109.1 thousand tons), 146.8 thousand tons of horse meat (140 thousand tons), 337.1 thousand tons of poultry meat (326.3 thousand tons), and others.
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.
President Tokayev Meets with Shingo Ueno, President and CEO of Sumitomo Corporation
Images | akorda.kz
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev held a meeting with Shingo Ueno, Representative Director, President and CEO of Sumitomo Corporation, one of Japan’s largest and most influential trading and investment companies, akorda.kz reports.
The President of Kazakhstan noted that our country highly values Sumitomo’s commitment to sustainable growth and responsible business practices, and considers the company a long-term strategic partner.
In turn, Shingo Ueno informed the Head of State about the preparation of a joint project with the national atomic company Kazatomprom in the field of nuclear medicine. The project aims to develop scientifically grounded approaches to the production of medical radioisotopes from by-products of uranium manufacturing.
The interlocutors also discussed prospects for implementing joint investment projects in transportation and logistics, energy, nuclear industry, metallurgy and geological exploration.
This information may not be reproduced without reference to Kazakhstan Today. Copyright of materials of News Agency Kazakhstan Today.