Current state of livestock economy in Kazakhstan

. The purpose of article is to study the state of the livestock economy in Kazakhstan, identify problems and justify promising directions for solving them for the industry. For the development of agriculture, the Concept for the development of the agro-industrial complex of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2021-2030 was adopted. The study was conducted in the context of individual entrepreneurs, peasant or farm enterprises, and public farms. It has been established that livestock farming in Kazakhstan is developing at a high rate. There has been an increase in meat production in slaughter and live weight. In terms of the number of livestock, the largest increase was obtained in horses and cows, but in the number of pigs, goats, as well as in the production of chicken eggs, there was a decrease in indicators. Problems in the development of livestock farming in Kazakhstan are highlighted: lack of self-sufficiency in poultry meat and dairy products; imbalance of feed production; low efficiency of production organization in personal subsidiary plots of the population; tense epizootic situation regarding especially dangerous animal diseases, ineffectiveness of government control; deterioration of the material and technical equipment of state veterinary organizations; low level of personnel training; limited environmental monitoring.


Introduction
The livestock industry occupies an important place in the economy of Kazakhstan due to historical traditions, natural and climatic conditions, and resource base.The existing conditions make it possible to achieve not only self-sufficiency in livestock products and food sovereignty, but also to become a large exporter in the high-quality organic food market.However, there are a number of problems, some of which are historical, accumulated since the collapse of the Soviet Union.The COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the emergence at different times of outbreaks of mass animal diseases, had a noticeable impact on the development of livestock farming in Kazakhstan.Since the livestock industry is strategically important for the country, government agencies pay great attention to developing measures to increase the dynamics of livestock development as part of the agricultural industry.There is an understanding that agriculture cannot develop autonomously, and branches of agriculture (crop production, livestock farming, processing of agricultural products) complement each other.These circumstances determine the relevance of studying the current state of the livestock economy in Kazakhstan.This study is aimed at assessing the actual state of the livestock economy in Kazakhstan, identifying factors and reasons influencing the development of the industry in the current situation and in the future.
The study used official statistical materials from the Bureau of National Statistics, Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms, and the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan.
When carrying out this study, general methodological scientific principles were applied: unity of theory and practice, objectivity, complexity.concrete historical and systemic approaches.Analytical and economic-statistical research methods were used.
The purpose of this article is to study the state of the livestock economy in Kazakhstan, identify problems and justify promising directions for solving them for the development of the industry.

Characteristics of the state of livestock farming in Kazakhstan until 2021
Kazakhstan is a country with a diverse agricultural economy and occupies an area of 272.5 million hectares (9th place in the world in terms of territory), of which agricultural land is 70.2 million hectares (79.8%), including 40.1 thousand.hectares of arable land, 1608.6 thousand hectares of fallow lands, 1983.7 thousand hectares of hayfields and 66608.6 thousand hectares of pastures.This gives grounds to consider Kazakhstan a country with good prerequisites for the development of agriculture and especially livestock farming.
For the development of agriculture, the Concept for the development of the agroindustrial complex of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2021-2030 was adopted.The concept covers all sectors of the country's agricultural economy -crop production, livestock farming, agricultural processing, infrastructure, resource markets.Widespread attention to various aspects of development indicates that the country is forming a diversified agro-industrial sector and strives to achieve food sovereignty in the future.
According to the Concept for the Development of the Agro-Industrial Complex, there is an increase in production output, productivity and livestock numbers.Thus, during 2018-2020, the gross output of livestock products increased from 2.1 trillion tenge to 2.6 trillion tenge.The production of meat of all types is growing at the highest rates (by 10.3%), as well as milk (by 6.4%).The growth is predominantly extensive, since during this period the number of cattle increased to 7.9 million heads (by 9.8%), sheep -to 17.7 million heads (by 8.1%), horses -to 3, 1 million heads (by 19%), camels -up to 227.7 thousand heads (by 9.7%).But there are also signs of intensive growth in indicators.During 2018-2020, the average milk yield per cow in agricultural enterprises increased by 5.2% and reached a level of 4320 kg.The growth occurred due to the fact that the number of farms involved in breeding highly productive breeds and improving the quality of biological material has increased.The number of such enterprises increased from 6.3 thousand to 25.3 thousand, industrial dairy farms from 65 to 206, which was partly the reason for the extensive growth of milk production.At the same time, in the country only 37.7% of the cattle breeding stock is covered by breeding improvement, which does not create the prerequisites for an intensive type of development in the future.

Interim results of the Concept for the development of the agro-industrial complex in terms of livestock farming in Kazakhstan
The results of the state's participation in supporting livestock farming were the following indicators (Table 1).The study shows that livestock farming in Kazakhstan is developing at a high rate.There was an increase of 104.5% and 105.0% in meat production in slaughter and live weight.In terms of livestock numbers, the largest increase was achieved in horses (108.4%), as well as in cows (105.3%).There are positive changes in the structure of the cattle population, since the growth rate of the most productive part -cows -is higher than the growth rate of the total population (103.7%).In the coming years, this may lead to an increase in the production of cow's milk and cow's meat.
Increases are observed in all groups of indicators, with the exception of pigs, goats and chicken eggs.The reduction in the number of pigs is explained by religious traditions (Kazakhstan is a country with a predominantly Muslim population, which for religious reasons does not eat pork).Therefore, we see a reduction in the number of pigs in the 1st half The total number of goats is also decreasing from 2857976 heads to 2825771 heads (or 98.9%), which may be due to a decrease in demand for natural wool and down.In addition, in Kazakhstan, greater preference is given to sheep meat, the number of which increases annually.
The production of chicken eggs is also decreasing against the backdrop of an increase in the poultry population.If in the 1st half of 2022 2468348.8thousand units were produced, then in the 1st half of 2023 only 2423655.8 thousand units were produced.We believe that this is a negative trend, since poultry farming is the most profitable area in livestock farming.
Poultry farming has great export potential for sales to China and other Asian countries.In addition, poultry and egg production volumes can be quickly increased, unlike long-growing cattle species.
Livestock farming in Kazakhstan is developing among individual entrepreneurs, in peasant farms (Table 2) and on public farms (Table 3).Let us consider the dynamics of production in the context of these groups.The dynamics of livestock development indicators for individual entrepreneurs and peasant or farm enterprises repeats the general dynamics in the industry, but at a slower pace.Thus, growth over the six months was noted only by 3.5-3.6% in slaughter and live weight of livestock and poultry.That is, small organizational forms experience greater difficulties in their development than larger livestock enterprises.However, the greatest increase (outpacing the general indicators for livestock production in Kazakhstan) occurred in the number of camels (110.0%),horses (109.2%),sheep (107.9%), as well as cattle.This dynamics is partly explained by the fact that animals of these groups are long-lived and their rearing is subject to some inertia (that is, less dependent on operational changes in the current market conditions).
The largest decrease was noted in the number of pigs (growth rate of 79.2%), which is associated both with changes in market conditions of trade with neighboring non-Muslim countries, and with periodic outbreaks of diseases of these animals.Public farms in Kazakhstan belong to medium and large agribusiness entities, therefore they are engaged in breeding animals on an industrial basis, which is reflected in the structure and dynamics of the presented indicators.The production of livestock and poultry meat on public farms is growing at a slower rate than on small farms -by only 101.7% (in live weight) and 101.5% (in slaughter weight).This is explained, on the one hand, by the impossibility of quickly scaling up cultivation technologies in industrial conditions, and on the other hand, by the weak interest of public farms and weak government protectionism of their activities.We see slight increases in horses (106.2%),cattle (102.3%) and cows (103.8%), as well as traditional hide production.
Thus, we see positive results from the application of the Concept for the development of the agro-industrial complex in livestock farming in Kazakhstan.The most effective measures were for small businesses.At the same time, as practice and the personal experience of the authors show, there remain unresolved problems that hinder the dynamic and proportional development of all livestock sectors in Kazakhstan.

Problems of livestock development in Kazakhstan
The unresolved problems of livestock development in Kazakhstan are the following: -Kazakhstan has not achieved food sovereignty and self-sufficiency in poultry meat and dairy products, although there are all the prerequisites for this.-There is an imbalance in the development of livestock farming and feed production.According to government statistics in the country as a whole, feed production volumes are 2 times lower than required by zootechnical standards.Depending on the region, between 20% and 60% of natural rangelands are degraded.48% of pasture lands are not used due to the lack of watering places.This problem is most relevant for individual entrepreneurs and peasant and farm enterprises.Artificial pastures can only be created by large public farms.But they are also characterized by a low share of forage crops in crop rotation and the use of irrigated lands for growing low-profitable forage crops.
-There is a problem of effective organization of livestock farming in private household plots of the population.The essence of the problem is that in small farms there is a high proportion of livestock that is not covered by modern technological processes and is not provided with a sufficient amount of nutritious feed.Small farms also have a high proportion of outbred livestock.Taken together, this is the reason for the lower efficiency of agribusiness in small farms compared to large-scale farms.
The epizootic situation regarding especially dangerous animal diseases remains tense, which not only causes economic damage, but also carries social risks of infecting people.The reason for this existing unresolved problem is close cooperation with disadvantaged neighboring countries in the field of international trade, unauthorized (uncontrolled) movement and movement of animals and animal products.According to government statistics, in 2018, 226 outbreaks of especially dangerous diseases were registered in Kazakhstan, and in 2020 this number was already 330 outbreaks.In particular, such a sharp increase is associated with the registration of 98 outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in 2020, as a result of which about 2 million birds were destroyed.
-Control and diagnosis of especially dangerous and enzootic animal diseases is entrusted to the state, while private business does not have the opportunity to work in this area, which not only limits the development of competition in this sector, but also does not allow effectively covering all private household plots of the population.
-Deterioration of the material and technical equipment of state veterinary organizations due to limited government funding.In most of them, laboratory and diagnostic equipment is physically worn out and obsolete.This is one of the reasons for the previous problem.
-The low level of training in the field of veterinary medicine, advanced training of veterinary specialists, as well as the low level of wages of practical veterinary workers, which is the reason the decrease in the attractivenes s of working in livestock farming.
-The country carries out only limited environmental monitoring in livestock farming, in particular with regard to greenhouse gas emissions.As a result, there is no information on the amount of emissions and the degree of negative impact on the environment.

Conclusion
A study of the state of the livestock economy in Kazakhstan showed that it is determined by the Concept for the development of the agro-industrial complex of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 2021-2030.The results of the implementation of the concept were positive growth rates in livestock production indicators -product production and livestock numbers.There has been an increase in meat production in slaughter and live weight.In terms of the number of livestock, the largest increase was obtained in horses and cows, but in the number of pigs, goats, as well as in the production of chicken eggs, there was a decrease in indicators.The study was conducted in the context of individual entrepreneurs, peasant or farm enterprises (small forms of management), as well as public farms (medium and large forms of management).Small forms of business are more adaptive to market changes, and are also more susceptible to government support measures that are presented in the Concept.Unsolved problems in the development of livestock farming in Kazakhstan remain: lack of self-sufficiency in poultry meat and dairy products; imbalance of feed production; low efficiency of production organization in personal subsidiary plots of the population; tense

Table 1 .
General indicators of livestock development for all categories of enterprises.

Table 2 .
Indicators of livestock development for individual entrepreneurs and peasant or farm enterprises.

Table 3 .
Livestock Development Indicators on Community Farms.
E3S Web of Conferences 462, 01023 (2023) AFE-2023 https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202346201023epizootic situation regarding especially dangerous animal diseases, ineffectiveness of government control; deterioration of the material and technical equipment of state veterinary organizations; low level of personnel training; limited environmental monitoring.