Kazakhstan's light industry producers may gain priority in public procurement. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.
The government has announced new measures to support light industry. Domestic producers will get expanded access to public procurement, increased requirements for raw material localization and school uniform quality, as well as reduced certification costs.
As noted at a meeting with light industry representatives, one of the support measures concerns the state defense order. When purchasing light industry goods, it is proposed to gradually increase requirements for the domestic value of raw materials. This will increase the use of Kazakhstani raw materials and ensure more stable workload for local producers.
It is also planned to expand opportunities for domestic enterprises in public procurement. For this purpose, it is proposed to revise the list of light industry goods purchased through the penal enforcement system from the state enterprise "Enbek" from a single source. It is proposed to leave in the list only products for the organization's internal needs, opening wider access to public procurement for domestic enterprises.
Changes will also affect school uniforms. It is proposed to strengthen quality requirements by normatively fixing compliance with national standards.
The issue of certification and laboratory testing costs was also considered. Business representatives at a previous meeting noted the high cost of product certification for participation in public procurement. Taking into account industry proposals, it was decided to develop a methodology providing fixed tariffs for product testing. This should make the cost of services more transparent and reduce producer costs.
"Operational measures are planned to be implemented at the level of by-laws, systemic ones through changes to legislation. In parallel, within the framework of the Comprehensive Plan for the Development of Light Industry, a package of amendments to the Tax Code and other legislative acts has been prepared," the government noted.
One of the key tools is proposed to be an Agreement on Increasing Localization. Enterprises that undertake corresponding obligations will receive the right to tax benefits, including regardless of the location of facilities due to the extraterritoriality norm.
Earlier, Kursiv reported that clothing production in Kazakhstan grew by 136 percent.
At the end of 2025, production volume increased by 22.6% and amounted to 259.5 billion tenge. The main driver of growth is the textile industry with a volume of 159 billion tenge.
"The industry remains one of the fastest-growing segments of the manufacturing industry," the Ministry of Industry explained.