Investments in South Kazakhstan rise 33%
Published on 12/09/2017
During the first six months of 2017, South Kazakhstan attracted 180.6 billion tenge ($543.78 million) in investments. This is a 33% increase compared to the same period in 2016, according to the regional akimat (administration).
Since 2015, 162 projects totalling 208 billion tenge ($626.2 million) have been implemented in the region under the State Programme for Accelerated Industrial and Innovative Development, creating 13,500 jobs. This includes three new plants worth 37 billion tenge ($111.4 million) that have been put into operation.
The region plans to introduce 17 projects worth 37.1 billion ($111.7 million) in 2017.
“One of the projects already implemented is a waffle production plant in Shymkent, capable of producing 1,700 tonnes of products per year. The second is the Asia Agro corn processing plant in the Otyrar region, and the third is a polyethylene plant, intended for producing uranium in the Sozak district,” said Batyrkhan Kurmanseit, Head of Regional Department of Entrepreneurship, Industrial and Innovative Development and Tourism.
The South Kazakhstan region is an attractive destination for investors, with Shymkent and the Otyrar, Tolebi and Saryagash districts leading in investment attraction. The South Kazakhstan region is also among the first to implement investment projects; investors have expressed interest in the pharmaceutical industry, the production of textiles, light industry, agriculture, and processing industry.
Local professionals intend to visit Germany, the UK, Georgia, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Russia, and other countries to boost industry knowledge on machine-building, tourism, and agriculture, and share experience on building smart cities. This will familiarise the international business community with the region’s investment opportunities, and help develop cooperation.
In 2012, the region had 120,000 small- and medium-sized businesses, which has since soared to 176,684. The region has emerged as a leader in attracting investments; overall, the region’s economy attracted 380.6 billion tenge ($1.14 billion) of investments last year.