Economic assessment of bioeconomy in agro-industrial complex of the Republic of Kazakhstan: world experience and priority areas

The article is devoted to the study of economic potential of bioeconomy in agro-industrial complex of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The relevance of the topic is due to the need to modernize agricultural sector in the context of land degradation, climate change and growing demand for organic products. The introduction of bioeconomic approaches contributes to rational use of bioresources, reducing dependence on fossil fuels and increasing competitiveness of agricultural sector. The goal is to analyze possibilities of introducing bioeconomic models, assess their economic impact and develop recommendations for improving measures to implement agricultural policy. Methods - statistical analysis to consider the current state of agro-industrial production, volume of biological resources, level of biomass processing and dynamics of development of ecobioeconomics; comparative - in the study of successful biotechnology practices in the EU countries, Germany and Brazil and their adaptation to the conditions of the republic. Results - based on economic modeling, three scenarios for the development of ecological economy are shown: basic (maintaining the current level), moderate (partial processing of bioresources) and optimistic (its full integration into the country's economic system). It was found that expansion of biosphere will increase contribution of agro-industrial complex to GDP by 15%, organize up to 200 thousand new jobs and reduce carbon footprint of agriculture by 25-30%. Processing of biomaterials and organic farming products will increase farmers' incomes by reducing costs of fertilizers and energy. The main barriers remain imperfect infrastructure, personnel shortages and financial constraints. Conclusions - practical significance of the work lies in preparation of proposals for transition to innovative processes of enriching biological mass, attracting private investment, creating educational programs and forming export potential, contributing to development of national bioeconomy strategy, development of rural areas and increasing their environmental sustainability.