A new association of exporters will be funded in Kazakhstan

/Kazakhstan today, 10.12.02/ - A new Association of exporters will be founded in Kazakhstan. Agreement about foundation of the association was achieved during the meeting of representatives of the largest enterprises-exporters of Kazakhstan. About this a correspondent of KZ-today was informed in the press-service of Eurasian Industrial Association (EIA). According to EIA's information, interest in the meeting was shown by producers of almost all branches, which present their production at foreign markets - from oil producers to agricultural production manufacturers. Participants of the meeting were vice-minister of industry and trade Galym Orazbakov, who informed exporters about results of the country's foreign economic activity for 2002, tasks on preparation for coming of Kazakhstan into WTO. Besides, representatives of the Republican Association of secondary metallurgy, the Committee on defense industry, Eurasian Industrial Association, Kazatomprom, JV Belkamit OJSC attended the meeting. Participants shared problems of their enterprises on goods movement to the world market. As was found out during the meeting, problems of export, which enterprises face, are relevant for other producers and have common character in many respects. For example, absence of enough carriages and impossibility or unwillingness railway men to solve this problem, equally negatively influence both export of Kazakhstan grain and Kazakhstan coal as well. Kazakhstan businessmen's lack of knowledge of conjuncture at different world markets, absence of information about international tenders for production purchasing, absence of real help from the state concerning insurance and financing export operations are also among the problems of export. Participants of the meeting came to conclusion that presence of common problems, strengthening competition at foreign markets, grown necessity of developing of the trade policy and coordination of business-structures' actions with state bodies dictate the necessity in unification in the Association of exporters. Such large country's companies as "Aluminium of Kazakhstan", Prodcorporation, TNC "Kazkhrom", Association of mechanicians, "NAC Kazatomprom" CJSC, "Zernovoi Soyuz", "Tsentragromash" and other agreed to be members of the Association. According to the words of EIA's vice-minister Zaure Zaurbekova, "The Union of foreign investors under the President, which successfully leads the policy of investments attracting into the Republic, has been functioning in the country for several years already. Working groups, which are a part of the Union's structure, allow to on-the-fly study appearing problems and offer ways to solve them". Zurbekova offered to make the work of Association of exporters on the same principle. Major Association's tasks will be unification of Kazakhstan exporters' separate efforts for Kazakhstan production's movement to the world market, defense and support of domestic exporters' interests in the state bodies, development of the project of the state program "Kazakhstan export", promotion to Kazakhstan coming into WTO, help in foundation of full market's infrastructure, working up of offers on supporting domestic exporters' competitiveness at foreign markets by means of flexible tariff policy for services if natural monopolists and a number of other ones. Participants also stated that the Association of exporters would be open and any business-structures, for which tasks and aims, which were before the association, were interesting, could join it. [2002-12-10]