BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 7. The World Bank's future involvement in Kazakhstan's agricultural sector, including the possibility of financing investment projects, will align with the government's priorities and external borrowing policies, Andrei Mikhnev, World Bank Country Manager for Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, said in an exclusive interview with Trend.
"The World Bank's future involvement in Kazakhstan's agriculture sector, including investment initiatives, will match government goals and external borrowing policies. We are committed to continuing our technical support and policy advice to advance agricultural development in the country," he said.
As Andrei Mikhnev noted, the World Bank is really getting down to brass tacks with the government of Kazakhstan to kick things up a notch in the agricultural sector's productivity and competitiveness.
"Recognizing the need for more effective public support, we recommend reforming state support mechanisms. Our recommendations, detailed in a policy note completed last fiscal year, suggest a shift from output subsidies to soft lending and matching grants that encourage the adoption of innovative and climate-adaptive technologies. Climate change poses a significant risk to agriculture in Kazakhstan, particularly due to the anticipated increase in temperatures and potential water scarcity. To address this, we have compiled a comprehensive report titled 'Climate Adaptation Options and Opportunities in the Agriculture Sector, which presents viable technologies and agronomic practices that could be adopted with government support," Mikhnev concluded.