The Food Contract Corporation has outlined its priority tasks for the coming period. As the company's head announced at a conference held at the end of last year, the focus will be on digitalizing processes, developing and modernizing grain storage facilities, and expanding support tools for farmers, including small and medium-sized farms, according to APK News.
A conference dedicated to the 30th anniversary of JSC Food Contract Corporation was held in Astana. It was noted that over three decades, the Food Contract Corporation has emerged as a key institution in the country's agricultural policy and food security, ensuring the management of state grain resources, stabilizing the domestic market, and developing Kazakhstan's export potential.
Speaking at the conference, Vice Minister of Agriculture Azat Sultanov noted the corporation's leading role in ensuring the stability of the grain market and supporting Kazakhstan's agricultural producers. One of the national grain operator's first financial instruments was a forward procurement program for agricultural products, which has been expanded in recent years.
"Today, forward purchases are an effective financial instrument that provides farmers with working capital during the early stages of field work. Due to its simplicity and accessibility, the program is in high demand among the farming community," emphasized Azat Sultanov.
He also praised the Food Contract Corporation's work to strengthen the country's export position and food security.
"For the second year in a row, Kazakhstan has harvested a record harvest, which allows us to fully meet domestic needs, build sustainable grain reserves, and maintain the country's position as one of the guarantors of interregional food security. Last season, grain and grain product exports doubled, while demand for Kazakh grain continues to grow," the Vice Minister recalled.
Asylkhan Dzhuvashev, Chairman of the Board of JSC Food Contract Corporation, outlined the company's key development milestones in his speech.
"Today, the Food Corporation is a multifunctional structure covering the entire spectrum of key agricultural policy areas: from the formation and management of state grain resources to supporting agricultural producers, developing export logistics, and modernizing elevator infrastructure," the company's head noted.
According to him, the corporation annually accumulates over 2 million tons of grain, forming a minimum reserve and feed fund, and also performs a stabilizing function in the domestic market through procurement and commodity interventions.
During the last marketing year, the corporation sold approximately 1.4 million tons of grain, expanding its supply geography to 12 countries and increasing its share of Kazakhstan's total grain exports.
At the event, priority tasks for the coming period were also outlined: digitalization of processes, development and modernization of grain storage facilities, and expansion of support tools for farmers, including small and medium-sized farms.
"The corporation's management has already developed and is gradually implementing plans to digitalize key processes, including grain accounting and movement. This will improve the transparency of operations, safeguard the state's grain resources, and elevate interaction with farmers to a whole new level," concluded Deputy Minister of Agriculture Azat Sultanov.