According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the gross agricultural output in January-May 2019 increased by 3.7%. This growth is accounted for the growth in gross output of livestock products by 3.6%, which, in turn, was a result of 4.8% increase in the slaughter of livestock and poultry, and 3.1% in raw cow milk production, 2.1% in the number of chicken eggs.

As Omarov noted, the increase in livestock production is associated with the successful implementation of loan programs.

“For the five months of 2019, 254 farms were credited under these programs for the purchase of 41.8 thousand heads of cattle, which is 43% of the total annual plan, 340 farms — for purchasing 132.1 thousand heads of breeding stock of small cattle or 36% of the annual plan. According to the Yrys program, 3 dairy-commodity complexes with a total population of 2,000 heads have been introduced since the beginning of the year,” said Omarov.

Meanwhile, crop production for the period increased by 108.1%, as a result of growing cabbage production in the Turkestan region.

Food production increased by 1.2%. Beverage production increased by 18.9%.

The minister also said that all regions have completed the spring sowing. In general, the sowing area was 19 million hectares, of which cereals occupied 14.5 million hectares, oilseeds — 2.7 million hectares, vegetables and melons and potatoes — 458.3 thousand hectares, fodder crops — 1, 2 million hectares, industrial crops — 144 thousand hectares

The operator of the loan program — Agrarian Credit Corporation JSC — received 2,012 applications of agricultural producers for 60 billion tenge, of which 1,912 producers were financed for 55.9 billion tenge.