In a significant milestone for trade and agricultural cooperation, Kazakhstan has dispatched its inaugural 1,300-ton shipment of grain to Jinan, China, via a newly established freight container train. The event was marked by an official announcement during a meeting between Kazakh Agriculture Minister Yerbol Karashukeyev and Communist Party Secretary of Shandong Province, Lin Wu, in Almaty.
The shipment's departure also marked the inauguration of a brand-new Shandong forming center situated at the Burundai station in Almaty, further strengthening the logistics and trade ties between the two regions.
Shandong Province has emerged as a vital trading partner for Kazakhstan, with a recorded trade turnover of $2 bn last year. This robust trade relationship ranks Shandong fourth in terms of trade volume with Kazakhstan, following the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR), Beijing, and Gansu Province.
Minister Karashukeyev expressed his confidence in the growth potential of this partnership, emphasizing that Kazakhstan is well-positioned to provide a diverse range of high-quality agricultural products. The country has ambitious goals of increasing its annual grain exports to 1 mn tons and expanding its exports to include chilled meat products.
The meeting between the Kazakh Agriculture Minister and the Shandong Communist Party Secretary concluded with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Food Corporation and Binzhou Zhongyu Foods. This memorandum outlines plans to export an impressive 200,000 tons of domestically produced grain to China, further deepening their agricultural trade ties.
In addition to discussing immediate trade matters, Minister Karashukeyev also touched on a draft Comprehensive Plan developed by the Ministry of Agriculture earlier this year. The plan places significant emphasis on developing breeding programs and primary seed production for crops, aiming to create competitive, high-yield, next-generation crop varieties.
To foster academic cooperation and research collaboration in the agricultural sector, a second memorandum was signed between the Kazakh AgroTechnical Research University and the Shandong Academy of Agricultural Science. This collaboration aims to facilitate joint research in seed production, promising advancements in crop development and agricultural techniques.
Minister Karashukeyev extended an invitation to Chinese businesspeople to consider establishing joint processing enterprises in Kazakhstan. He underscored the country's commitment to expanding its capabilities in agricultural product processing, adding further value to its exports.
Trade data highlights the growing strength of this trade relationship. In the first half of 2023 alone, agricultural product turnover between Kazakhstan and China reached an impressive $578.5 mn, representing a remarkable 72.7% increase compared to the same period in 2022.
Kazakhstan's primary exports to China primarily consist of grain crops and various types of oil, while it imports vegetables and nuts from China. With this latest shipment and the strengthening of trade ties, it is evident that Kazakhstan is poised to play an increasingly significant role in China's agricultural supply chain. This partnership not only benefits both nations' economies but also contributes to food security and stability in the region.
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