North Kazakhstan Region misses deadlines on all 1,432 investment subsidy applications

A meeting of the Council for the Protection of Entrepreneurs' Rights and Anti-Corruption at the North Kazakhstan Region chamber of entrepreneurs found that the regional agriculture department is past the deadline on all 1,432 investment subsidy applications it is currently handling. The rules allow 19 working days for a decision, yet entrepreneurs wait for months. Even approved payments can be delayed by a year or more.

The review began with a complaint from Bogatyrsky Produkt LLP. The company invested 69 million tenge in a gingerbread production line and hoped to recover about 17 million tenge through subsidies. It applied on 22 July, but the review only started on 22 September. Permission for an on-site inspection was issued on 9 October, and the commission's visit was set for November. Applications close on 15 December. If there is no decision by then, the company will not be able to reapply this year.

The Department of Agriculture and Land Relations blamed the delays on a lack of staff. In each of its nine sector divisions, only one specialist reviews the applications in that area. "At this pace, you physically won't manage to review the remaining applications by year-end," said council chair Inessa Kuanova.

At the meeting, it was proposed to have artificial intelligence do the preliminary document checks. The council recommended that the department urgently send a commission to the company and issue an equipment inspection report.