Our People > Dmitry Pokidaev

Dmitry Pokidaev

Journalist

Dmitry Pokidaev is a journalist based in Astana, Kazakhstan, with experience at some of the country's top media outlets. Before his career in journalism, Pokidaev worked as an academic, teaching Russian language and literature.

Articles

Meat Market

Kazakhstan Proposes Criminal Penalties for Illegal Meat Sales

Kazakhstan’s Minister of Agriculture, Aidarbek Saparov, has proposed introducing criminal liability for the sale of meat that bypasses veterinary and sanitary inspections. Speaking at a government meeting, Saparov emphasized that Kazakhstan is undertaking large-scale efforts to digitize its livestock industry. Each farm animal now receives an individual identification number, with all veterinary procedures recorded in an electronic system. However, the minister warned that the system’s effectiveness depends on livestock owners maintaining accurate and transparent records. “We must strengthen oversight of livestock registration and tighten accountability, up to criminal liability, for unscrupulous livestock suppliers and buyers of animal products without proper veterinary documentation,” Saparov stated. Illegal Slaughterhouses a Threat to Public Health Saparov cited recent cases of underground slaughterhouses as a significant public health concern. In December 2024, two unlicensed facilities were discovered in Astana, distributing unregulated meat across the country. Similar operations were uncovered in Semey and Shymkent in spring 2025. Currently, criminal penalties in Kazakhstan apply only to cattle theft. Violations of veterinary and sanitary rules, unless they result in serious harm to human health, are punished administratively. Since the beginning of 2025, 64 veterinary checkpoints have inspected 28,500 vehicles transporting meat. Violations were identified in 547 cases, resulting in administrative fines for the owners. Livestock Industry Growth and Export Expansion Saparov also reported robust growth in livestock production. From January to May 2025, output increased by 4.2% compared to the same period in 2024. Meat production (in carcass weight) rose by 3%. Cow’s milk production grew by 7.5%. Almaty and Akmola regions led in meat output, while North Kazakhstan and Pavlodar regions led in milk production. The livestock population also expanded: Cattle: up 23.4 percent to 9.6 million head Small ruminants: up 7.8 percent to 26.3 million head Horses: up 12.2 percent to 5 million head Camels: up 8.5 percent to 321,300 head Poultry: up 2.2 percent to 47.7 million birds “Current production volumes fully meet domestic demand for beef and mutton and allow us to expand exports to up to 50,000 tons annually,” Saparov said. In 2024, Kazakhstan’s beef exports increased by 1.4 times to over 22,000 tons. Mutton exports grew 2.2 times, reaching 18,000 tons. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Turkey expressed interest in importing Kazakh meat, reportedly offering prices nearly double those proposed by China.

9 months ago

Industrial Hemp

Kazakhstan to Use Industrial Hemp for Passport Production

Kazakhstan will begin producing high-security paper from domestically cultivated industrial hemp, which will be used in the manufacture of passports and national ID cards, the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) has announced. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakh authorities first considered cultivating industrial hemp in 2016, though the initiative remained dormant until recently. In spring 2025, a draft law legalizing the cultivation of non-narcotic hemp was submitted to parliament. It was approved by deputies in June and subsequently signed into law by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The legislation authorizes the government to determine which hemp varieties are eligible for industrial use, explicitly excluding strains used for narcotics, and outlines procedures for cultivation and processing. High-Security Applications and Export Potential At a government briefing on Tuesday, Deputy Minister of Agriculture Azat Sultanov explained the rationale behind the initiative. “The main product will be high-security paper, which is a valuable export commodity used for the production of identification documents such as passports and other special forms,” Sultanov said. “The range of products being considered by the investor is wide. Market demand will be taken into account, and we believe all the output will go for export.” The North Kazakhstan Region is currently being considered as the site for the production facility. Regulated THC Levels and Licenses Issued Earlier, the Ministry of Agriculture confirmed that the allowed level of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of cannabis, in cultivated industrial hemp would not exceed 0.3%. In contrast, wild hemp found in Kazakhstan can contain up to 15% THC, rendering the industrial variant non-psychoactive. Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Sanjar Adilov noted in April that four licenses for industrial hemp cultivation had already been issued. One licensed farming enterprise in Kostanay Region, adjacent to North Kazakhstan Region, is already engaged in hemp cultivation and processing.

9 months ago

Carbon Emission

Kazakhstan Considers Carbon Accounting System to Boost Emissions Transparency

Aydar Kazybayev, co-founder of the National Academy of Corporate Governance, has proposed the introduction of a carbon accounting system in Kazakhstan. He argues that such a system would enable the automatic calculation of greenhouse gas emissions at industrial enterprises and ensure more transparent and objective reporting. “Today in Kazakhstan, greenhouse gas emission reports remain virtually unchanged, and in some cases have worsened. This is due to different companies conducting annual verifications without a unified verification history,” Kazybayev said at the Central Asia Thermal Power Forum. He announced that a digital platform is scheduled for launch by the end of the year, aimed at integrating all combined heat and power (CHP) plants into a single emissions database. The system would allow companies to maintain carbon records independently via an aggregator or delegate the task to operators managing centralized “carbon accounts.” “Our main objective is to reduce the administrative burden on companies required to submit such reports,” Kazybayev emphasized. According to Kazakhstan’s most recent official submissions to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), total greenhouse gas emissions stood at 375.4 million tons in 2020, declined to 328.4 million tons in 2021, and rose again to 353 million tons in 2022. The energy sector remains the largest contributor, accounting for 288.5 million tons in 2020, 251.4 million in 2021, and 281.9 million in 2022. Kazybayev also cited technological innovations in China as potential models. Specifically, he highlighted China’s Smart Green Energy platform, which enables real-time monitoring of coal consumption and emissions, and generates both daily and annual reports. This system, currently in use at all coal-fired power plants in China, costs approximately $30,000. “Such tools would be highly beneficial for Kazakhstan. They help accurately estimate resource usage and identify inefficiencies,” Kazybayev explained. He also pointed to China’s modernization of coal-fired thermal power plants, where heat pumps and geothermal technologies are being adopted. These systems extract thermal energy from the air, ground, or water and integrate it into heating networks. Air pollution remains a critical concern across Central Asia. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, the World Bank has attributed over 65,000 premature deaths annually to regional air pollution.

9 months ago

smart city

Astana Leads 2024 Smart City Rankings in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry (MDIIA) has released its latest evaluation of local governments' efforts to implement Smart City technologies. For 2024, the capital city, Astana, secured the top position. A Smart City integrates multiple information and communication technologies (ICT) and Internet of Things (IoT) solutions to manage urban assets, ranging from residential and commercial properties to transportation and public infrastructure. The core objective is to enhance the quality of life for residents through greater efficiency, safety, and connectivity. Kazakhstan began implementing its Smart City strategy in 2019, introducing a standardized benchmark for assessing the adoption of smart technologies by local authorities. The first national Smart City ranking, published in 2020, placed Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest metropolis, firmly at the top. In subsequent years, Almaty and Astana alternated between first and second place. In 2023, however, Astana emerged as the clear leader. According to the MDIIA, alongside Astana, the cities of Almaty, Karaganda (Central Kazakhstan), Kostanay (northern Kazakhstan), and Ust-Kamenogorsk (eastern Kazakhstan) rounded out the top five for their effective implementation of urban digital technologies. “These cities have widely adopted systems for monitoring school performance, electronic fare collection, and real-time tracking of public transport,” the ministry reported. “Online registration for outpatient clinics is in place, and unified 109 contact centers handle public inquiries and complaints. The number of surveillance cameras has also increased, improving public safety.” As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakh authorities are also planning to construct a new city, Alatau, near Almaty. The project is being designed from the ground up to meet all the criteria of a Smart City.

9 months ago

Environment

Kazakhstan Considers “Green” Tax on Plastic Packaging

Azhar Sagandykova, a deputy in Kazakhstan’s Mazhilis, has proposed introducing a “green” tax on non-environmentally friendly packaging. She announced the initiative during the IX Eurasian Business Forum Green Energy & Waste Recycling Forum (GEWR-2025). The proposed tax would apply to packaging materials that are difficult to recycle or non-biodegradable, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, plastic bags, and other polyethylene-based containers. “It is time to seriously consider introducing a green tax on non-environmentally friendly packaging and directing the funds collected towards the development of waste recycling,” Sagandykova stated. According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Kazakhstan produces approximately 4.5 million tons of waste annually. Of this, 80% is generated by the municipal sector, while 20% comes from industry, healthcare, and other sectors. Only about 26% of the total waste is recycled. These figures were confirmed by Zhomart Aliyev, Kazakhstan's Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, who also addressed the forum. Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Aliyev commented on the complexities of implementing such a tax. “It is very difficult to say at this stage what a green tax on a particular product should look like. It could affect virtually all sectors of the economy. We have begun preparatory work, but it is still at an early stage. We need to calculate the figures for the whole country in detail,” he said. In addition to the tax proposal, Sagandykova advocated for a dedicated law on waste management to clarify responsibilities, define infrastructure needs, and introduce government incentives. “The existing Environmental Code contains a number of vulnerabilities and does not cover all aspects of waste management. Therefore, within the framework of a working group in the Mazhilis, we intend to review the systemic approach to solving this problem,” she explained. During the summer, deputies plan to collect proposals from businesses, environmentalists, and civil society stakeholders. These suggestions will inform a draft bill to be discussed in the fall. Aliyev added that the government is already working on a comprehensive waste management concept, excluding radioactive waste, which remains under the jurisdiction of the Atomic Energy Agency. The concept, commissioned by the prime minister, is expected to be finalized by September, when a decision will be made on whether a standalone waste management law is necessary. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan had aimed to phase out plastic packaging and tableware by 2025. However, due to a lack of sufficient alternatives in domestic production, the government was forced to abandon the timeline.

10 months ago