Kazakhstan: Rise in organic produce
In Azhibayeva’s words, environmentally-friendly products are related to land certification. In Kazakhstan, in the Kostanai province alone around 150 thousand hectares have been certified as being eco-friendly.
Azhibayeva also said that the Agriculture Ministry of Kazakhstan has drafted a Law "On organic farming", regulating the issues of agricultural machinery, fertilizer, processing, packaging, and eco-friendly packaging.
In the meantime, the OSCE Centre in Astana has taken long-standing efforts to promote green growth and sustainable development principles in Kazakhstan.
“The current methods of farming in Kazakhstan are leading to the destruction of natural vegetation that protects the land from erosion and accelerate the process of soil mineralization, which result in drastic decline of its fertility, crops yields and harvest as a whole,” Natalia Zarudna, head of the OSCE Centre in Astana, said at last November’s OSCE-supported roundtable discussion on green technologies with a focus on organic farming in Astana. “The development of organic farming, the introduction of vermiculture technology and vermicomposting, can contribute to solving the problem. One of the goals of this roundtable discussion is to help consolidate support for organic farming in society.”
“Environmentally-friendly economic development, with a focus on high-tech farming and increased agricultural productivity, is one of the main principles of ‘green’ growth. The national concept of the transition to a green economy as well as a draft law on organic farming creates opportunities for the effective implementation of this principle in Kazakhstan,” said Aigul Solovyova, a member of Kazakhstan’s Parliament and chairperson of the Coalition Board for Green Economy and G-Global Development.
Source: timesca.com