OREANDA-NEWS. On January 23, 2007 President said he had been supporting small- and medium-size business in the country from the very first days of Kazakhstan’s independence. The state formed a normative-legislative basis aimed at developing entrepreneurship, constantly improves taxation system, and eliminates various obstacles and barriers for business, reported the Official website www.akorda.kz.

At the meeting, Chairman of Kazakhstan’s National Economic Chamber “Atameken Union” Azat Peruashev talked about the problem of lacking of non-credit forms of investment business. Only 129 enterprises out of 200 thousands are listed on the Kazakhstani Stock Exchange, what is less than 0,05 percents. The stock market is virtually closed for other enterprises.

Azat Peruashev also declared an initiative of the Atameken Union to annually prepare national report on the development of business community and on actual issues of entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan for consideration by the President.

Nurlan Tleubayev, Chairman of the Grain Union of Kazakhstan said to the President that the support of agrarian sector has increased cultivated areas, crop yield and allowed Kazakhstan to enter the group of the 5 largest grain exporters in the world. This year, incomes from grain and flour export will reach 3 billion dollars. However, some grain producers experience different problems with transporting grain to the world markets.

Sh. Zhusupov, the Chairman of the Association of microfinance organizations of Kazakhstan said there is a need for 800 million dollars of microcredits in the country that is not satisfied with the funds allocated from the republican budget.

Majils Deputy of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Chairmn of the Machinery Workers’ Union of Kazakhstan M. Pshenbayev, Chairman of the Association of textile industry of Kazakhstan L. Hudova, President of the Poligrafia JSC E. Vissarova talked about entrepreneurs’ problems to the President.

Summarizing the discussion, Nursultan Nazarbayev underscored the importance of the meeting. The President instructed Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Vladimir Shkolnik to systemize all suggestions.

The Head of State said that the main factors hindering the development of business in Kazakhstan are constant administrative pressure on business, insufficient access of small business to financial resources, deficiency of highly qualified personnel. In the President’s opinion, the unsatisfactory development of the system for technical regulation and inadequate usage of international standards, low level of corporative social responsibility of native business communities and depreciation of fixed assets are also have negative impact on the development of business.

“We have to systematically work on these issues, in close cooperation with the government, state holdings and social-entrepreneurial corporations,” Nursultan Nazarbayev emphasized.