SHYMKENT. March 18. KAZINFORM /Tatyana Pylayeva/ Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev summed up results of his working visit to South Kazakhstan region.

He gave an interview to journalists in the new Philharmonic Hall in Shymkent.

"I started my tour around regions from South Kazakhstan. As long as, on one side, 15% of population of our county lives here. On the other side, the volume of production per capita is very law in the region, making only 2% of the industry of the country", the President noted.

He also stressed that the government of the region was set a task to make Shymkent and the whole South Kazakhstan region a country's development, growing point. "All measures have been taken for it. A special economic zone ("Ontustik") where the textile industry develops was established. Two plants will be launched this year in the zone. Two more plants are planned to be launched next year. We have an opportunity to receive cotton from Uzbekistan here as well as to launch a cotton factory in Zhetysai town", N.Nazarbayev said.

The Head of the State noted that the region has perspectives in the agricultural sector as well. "The region takes fifth place in the country in agriculture and is able to provide whole Kazakhstan with vegetable products", he said.

"I believe that the tasks on the forced industrialization program will be successfully solved. As I said at the sitting in Astana recently, the akimats must work on it. Totally 144 new facilities will be launched in the country this year. Besides, new road "West Europe - West China" will pass through South Kazakhstan region. This will provide thousands of our people with jobs. We create all necessary conditions for country's development", N.Nazarbayev summed up.