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Kazakhstan hammers out bill on aquaculture

Kazakhstan lawmakers are developing a bill on aquaculture, which is due to pass its first reading in federal parliament in November. Nariman Zhunusov, chairman of the fish farming department under the Ecology Ministry, unveiled this news during an industry conference. 

Under the law, nearly 1,200 new fish farms are planned to be built in Kazakhstan by 2030, Zhunusov said. Only 380 farms are officially registered in the country currently. The combined production performance will be 270,000 tonnes, against 19,100 last year. 

The law envisages broad state support measures, including soft loans and state subsidies. In addition, the government plans to put efforts into localizing aquafeed production for salmon and sturgeon species. 

Some work also needs to be done to improve veterinary safety, which will involve international experts, said Zhunusov, not providing additional details. 

A strong production growth should pave the way for Kazakh fish to the foreign market. Currently, 17 Kazakh fish companies are approved to export their products to the European Union. 

In addition, Kazakhstan is working with China to expand the industry’s export potential. Sixty-five fish companies have the right to export their products to China, and this figure is expected to grow in the coming years, the Ministry reported. 

Over the past several years, Kazakh farmers named a lack of infrastructure and state aid as the main factors constraining the aquacultural industry development in the country. Kazakhstan Ecology Ministry said that fish farming is possible in 42,000 lakes across the country, plus cage farming has a huge potential along the Caspian Sea coast.