Beijing Capital Agro, a leading Chinese food product producer plans to invest more than $600mn in beef farming in Kazakhstan. This development follows a meeting between Kazakhstan’s Minister of Agriculture, Aidarbek Saparov, and executives from Chinese companies CITIC Construction and Beijing Capital Agro.
The project aims to create dry feed lots and partner with over 600 farms and existing dry feed lots as anchor partners, resulting in the creation of more than 3,500 jobs.
In February 2024, the Chinese government lifted all restrictions on the export of meat products from the southern and eastern regions of Kazakhstan. This policy change enabled Kazakhstani businesses to resume meat exports to China, with the first batch of beef shipped in June.
During their meeting on July 17, the two sides signed three new contracts worth $75mn in total. Kazakhstan also aims to expand the range of exported products beyond the current ten items. Besides beef, China is interested in purchasing livestock from Kazakhstan.
During President Xi Jinping's visit to Kazakhstan, a protocol on veterinary requirements for cattle exports was signed between Kazakhstan's Ministry of Agriculture and the General Administration of Customs of China. Minister Saparov highlighted the country's openness to cooperation and joint investment projects in agriculture.
At the meeting, three Kazakhstani companies – Meat Processing and Service, Agro Silk Way, and Astana Agro Product – signed contracts with their Chinese counterparts to export meat and livestock to China.
China is one of Kazakhstan’s top three trading partners in agriculture. In 2023, the agricultural product turnover between the two countries reached $1.3bn, marking a 67% increase from 2022. The volume of farming product exports to China doubled to $1bn, with China primarily importing grain, oil crops, and various oils from Kazakhstan.
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