He addressed the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin with initiatives aimed at supporting the profitability of rural trade.
The Majilisman’s request notes that within the framework of the new economic policy, formed on behalf of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, special attention is paid to the development of entrepreneurship and the real sector of the economy. At the same time, small and medium-sized businesses provide a significant share of GDP and investment in fixed assets.
The deputy pointed out that the current regulation of prices for socially important food products creates an additional burden on entrepreneurs, especially in rural areas.
He recalled that the list of socially significant goods was expanded to 31 items with a maximum trade markup of 15%. It included basic food products that form the assortment of rural stores.
According to him, despite the social orientation of the measure, in practice it leads to a decrease in the profitability of trade in villages. Entrepreneurs incur high transportation costs and losses from spoilage of perishable products, which makes the business economically vulnerable.
“As a result, many rural stores operate at losses, experience difficulties servicing loans, and business becomes economically unstable,” he noted.
In this regard, it was proposed to introduce a differentiated trade markup at the level of 20-25% for rural stores, taking into account the distance from wholesale centers, and also to consider subsidizing transport costs or organizing centralized delivery of socially significant goods.
Additionally, the deputy proposed accelerating the development of a network of utility markets to reduce the chain of intermediaries and reduce final prices.
According to the author of the request, the implementation of these measures will help maintain the sustainability of rural trade, support entrepreneurs and ensure the availability of food for the population.
Previously at the Office for National Statistics notedthat the rate of growth in prices for socially important food products in Kazakhstan remains moderate: 5.1% per year, 1.4% from the beginning of 2026.
