Kazakhstan to increase oil output in 2008

ASTANA, February 7 (RIA Novosti) - Kazakhstan plans to increase oil output up to 70 million metric tons in 2008, a 4% increase year-on-year, the country's energy minister, Sauat Mynbayev said on Thursday.

"We plan to produce 69-70 million tones of oil in 2008," Mynbayev said.

After Russia, Kazakhstan is the second largest oil producer among former Soviet republics. The Central Asian state's oil extraction last year increased 3.7%, year-on-year, totaling 67.2 million tons.