Toqayev Urges Business Leaders to Invest in Rural Development

Qasym-Jomart Toqayev has called on successful entrepreneurs to invest more actively in rural development, saying that while there is work to be done in villages, there are too few people — and too little private funding — to support it, Orda.kz reports.

Speaking at the second Forum of Agricultural Workers in Uzbekistan, the president emphasized that rural well-being depends heavily on improving local infrastructure.

He noted that government efforts alone are not enough and urged business leaders to contribute.

The 'Auyl — Yel Besigi' project has been implemented since 2019, with over 700 billion tenge allocated for rural infrastructure development. Specific activities have been implemented in over 2,500 communities across the country. Over 600 associations have been created under the 'Auyl Amanaty' program,
 the president said.

He reminded attendees that a new Regional Development Concept was approved this year, giving district akims broader authority to design and carry out development plans.

Their responsibilities now include supporting cooperatives, partnering with large companies, and attracting investment into local communities.

According to him, farmers face staffing difficulties during sowing and harvesting seasons, and when expanding production or constructing new facilities.

The labor shortage is partially filled by migrant workers from neighboring countries. And farmers are asking for increased quotas. Perhaps we should accommodate them, at least partially.

Toqayev noted the contradiction between claims that rural areas lack work and complaints about labor shortages.

He said the issue is not the absence of work, but the lack of people willing to take it.

At the same forum, the president criticized akimats for slow progress on land allocation, pointing out that although 14 million hectares of pasture have been returned to state ownership over the past three years, many plots remain unused.

Original Author: Alina Pak