Kazakhstan's president sacked Agriculture Minister Saparkhan Omarov on July 10 while accusing his ministry of not having done enough to help farmers cope with a severe drought that has hit the country.
Farmers in the grain-producing Kazakhstan are struggling with extreme heat and a lack of rainfall, which has dried up pastures and resulted in the death of thousands of heads of cattle.
Speaking at a government meeting on July 10, President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev said Omarov should step down because his ministry had failed to take effective and prompt measures to assist the farmers.
"The [local regional authorities] and the Agriculture Ministry didn't take the right decisions and necessary measures, and as a result our farmers ended up in a tough situation," Toqaev said.
Earlier this week, the Agriculture Ministry said authorities will not compensate farmers who have lost livestock.
The ministry said on July 9 that a decision about declaring a drought emergency will be made depending on the amount of precipitation in July.
