Over half a million subpar products, valued at approximately 11 billion Kazakhstan tenge, have been imported into Kazakhstan.
Unsafe Import Woes Pile Up in Kazakhstan
Hetty here, and in today's grim report, we're delving into the staggering number of shoddy goods that have found their way into Kazakhstan. Senator Andrei Lukin spilled the beans during a Parliament meeting, claiming that a whopping 600,000 subpar and dangerous imports, worth a mind-boggling 11 billion tenge, have been detected.
Lukin also pointed fingers at the National Center of Accreditation, which, according to him, has doled out a shocking 15,000 illegal certificates and over 1,500 declarations. He didn't hold back, stating that the Government needs to tighten its grip and even threw a deputy inquiry in the direction of the Prime Minister.
But it seems our roads aren't fairing much better. Gumar Dyesembayev, another senator, is sweating the poor quality of Kazakh roads. He blames the decade-long rise in road accidents on this factor; the Atyrau region's roads being among the worst offenders, reportedly resulting in 59 deaths and 209 injuries. Road accidents on the Atyrau - Uralsk road have increased from 65 in the 2016-2017 period to a whopping 111 cases in the subsequent years, a staggering 72% increase.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan has been taking steps to bolster its domestic industries, albeit no direct action seems to have been taken regarding the certification issues at hand. Recent measures include a six-month ban on fresh chicken egg imports and an extension of the VAT offset method for goods imported from Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) countries. The nation's leaders are also busy negotiating with the US to mitigate tariffs affecting key exports, like oil and uranium.
That said, the current situation warrants stricter measures to combat the issuance of substandard certificates and ensure the safety of imported goods. Further investigation into certification reforms and anti-counterfeiting measures would be beneficial to shed more light on the steps being taken to protect consumers. Stay tuned for more updates, folks!
- Senator Andrei Lukin's declarations revealed that the National Center of Accreditation in Kazakhstan has issued over 15,000 illegal certificates and more than 1,500 declarations, leading to unsafe imports worth over 500 million US dollars.
- Gumar Dyesembayev, another senator, expressed concerns about the unsafe conditions on Kazakh roads, stating that poor quality roads have contributed to a 72% increase in road accidents in the Atyrau region, resulting in 59 deaths and 209 injuries.
- Despite the push for safety and the recent measures to support Kazakh industries, such as a ban on fresh chicken egg imports and an extension of the VAT offset method for goods imported from EAEU countries, there have been no direct actions taken regarding the certification issues that have allowed unsafe imports into the country.
- To ensure the safety of imported goods, stricter measures are needed to combat the issuance of substandard certificates, including further investigation into certification reforms and anti-counterfeiting measures.
- Given the recent revelations about unsafe imports and the potential risks to Kazakhstani consumers, politics and policy-and-legislation surrounding the accreditation and finance of industries in Kazakhstan have become primary topics of interest in general news.
