If last week we talked of Russia, and I spoke as the Eastern large, Today I’m going to talk of Kazakhstan, which although not as large, but is the ninth country in area, with 2,724,900 km².

Compared with Spain is at 52 ranking, is not bad to be the ninth. Well Kazakhstan remains largely a country of farmers and rural and extractive economy. Over 40% of the population still lives in the countryside and country, but as a result of the growth of extractive activities and services, the weight of the sub-sector in GDP in 2011 was 4.1%, agriculture and livestock still provide 30% of national employment. The country has the third largest forest area in Europe after Russia and Turkey. In fact, forestry, employs 300,000 people, although more than two million people depend indirectly on the forestry sector, mainly in the northeastern and southern parts of the country where the Altai and Alatau mountains respectively timber production concentrated high quality construction and fuel. Kazakhstan is among the top six exporters of high quality wheat. In fact wheat exports account for 2% of total exports from the country. Mainly exports grain to neighboring countries including Afghanistan and Azerbaijan heads, although the aim is to expand target markets, such as Indonesia.

Of the total land area only 8% is arable. The irrigated area is 23,000 km² and there are ecological and water supply problems by diverting the rivers that fed the Aral Sea and the consequent salinization. The main production and exports are 60% of the output corresponding to agricultural grain crops, potatoes, vegetables, cotton and beet mainly. Livestock and poultry account for the remaining 40% and mainly for their own consumption. Advances in recent years have driven livestock production, after decades bringing it to its former condition in some meats surplus. Livestock production is led by head of cattle (whether they are for meat or milk), goats, sheep, pigs, horses and camels that order. Agriculture is largely subsidized by direct and indirect pathways (price of inputs, exemptions and tax advantages, liens …), assuming a stumbling block in the WTO accession, but one of the pillars of economic diversification policy. Consumer habits are changing hands of a new class enriched with privatization and an emerging middle class. Adopt Western tastes quickly. To serve them are appearing in the four major cities several malls, hypermarkets and supermarkets with progressive supply of consumer goods in stockings and luxury ranges. Finally, we see the potential of Kazakhstan meat is very important, considering that the country has 180 million hectares of natural pastures, of which only 40% is utilized. In order for the country to become a leading exporter of beef, the government has launched a plan “State Program for Livestock Development,” which will feature 130,000 million tenge, to reach 60,000 tonnes of beef exports in the next five years until 2014. The challenge is getting increasingly heads high pedigree, since only 2% of cattle is high quality, while this percentage reaches 80% in meat powers like Brazil, Australia or Argentina.

Hope you begin playing the name of Kazakhstan, because in less than expected we will see in the elite of meat production, greetings to all.