Kazakhstan Exposes Inflated Grain Harvest Figures

Kazakhstan`s deputy prime minister revealed that regional officials inflated the country`s 2023 grain harvest figures by 20%, or about 3 million tons, including 2.1 million tons of wheat, to gain favor with the country`s leadership. This misinformation, reminiscent of Soviet-era practices, resulted in a distorted view of the agricultural sector, misallocation of subsidies, and potential obstacles to the government`s plan to increase farm output. The inflated figures also hid lower-than-reported yields and a domestic milk shortage. The government aims to rectify the data through a "statistics amnesty" and plans to base future grain subsidies on minimum yield thresholds. Despite the discrepancies, the deputy prime minister remains optimistic about boosting agricultural production through increased fertilizer usage.