Abstract
The relevance of the topic is due to the need to ensure food security in Kazakhstan. The goal is to assess the dependence of the republic on food imports, as well as to justify government measures to stimulate import substitution in agricultural sector of economy: customs and tariff control, lending, direct budget support, procurement and commodity interventions, tax and price regulation. The following methods were used in the article: general logical, systematic approach, analysis of cause-and-effect relationships, comparison and grouping. Results – the authors analyzed in dynamics the growth rates of gross agricultural output and imported food products. In maintaining the population growth rate an average of 1.3% which was observed in 2016-2020, the forecast for production of basic food products by 2025 is calculated, taking into account rational consumption rates. The authors note that reduction of food import dependency at the expense of domestic products is a t ask of national importance. Conclusions – in order to achieve and maintain physical and economic availability of safe food products in volumes and assortment corr esponding to scientifically based physiological needs, it is necessary to pursue a policy of d iversification of economy, its restructuring, use preferential micro -lending. Ensuring the country's food independence can be achieved in two ways, the first is related to self -sufficiency in food, the second is to combine the use of potential of domestic food industry and import supplies. The sol ution of the problems of import substitution is possible by increasing the competitiveness of K azakhstani agricultural enterprises through the introduction of innovations and the use of r esource-saving technologies.