(Read the full article on astanatimes.com)

Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin reported about the country’s economic development and the measures the government has taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus epidemic in 2020 through today at the joint session of the Kazakh Parliament on June 21, THE ASTANA TIMES reported citing reports of the Kazakh Prime Minister’s press service.

Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, in 2020 Kazakhstan launched 201 projects worth 916 billion tenge (US$2.1 billion) creating nearly 19,000 jobs. The majority of projects were in agriculture – 71 projects, metallurgy – 13 projects, the construction industry – 34 projects, mechanical engineering – 17 projects, and chemical industry – 12 projects.

Mamin spoke about agriculture as a major sector boosting the sustainability and self-sufficiency of the national economy. Last year, investments in agriculture grew 15 percent and investment in food production – 13.5 percent.

As part of measures to ensure food security, 59 projects were implemented in 29 major food production areas, including 48 dairy farms, 3 meat, and 8 poultry factories, producing more than 220,000 tons of products.

The cattle population increased by 5.6 percent to 7.8 million heads, while 20.1 million tons of grain and leguminous crops were milled.