ASTANA – Kazakhstan and China signed $160 million in agreements July 11 during the Kazakh-Chinese Agriculture Investment Forum held as part of a two-day visit to the capital by Chinese Minister of Agriculture Han Changfu at the invitation of the Kazakh Agriculture Ministry. The forum brought together more than 100 business, education and science representatives from both nations.
“During the forum, seven agreements were signed worth $160 million in total. Three of them are agreements dealing with trade. This is the agreement with our Food Contract Corporation that stipulates the supply of 200,000 tonnes of grain and 100,000 tonnes of oil crops [to China], as well as the construction of a grain terminal at the Kazakh-Chinese border,” said Kazakh Deputy Agriculture Minister Gulmira Issayeva, as quoted by Kazinform.
The two countries also agreed to strengthen cooperation in transferring advanced technologies and innovations.
“Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture and China’s Ministry of Agriculture signed a memorandum on understanding aimed at the creation of a model zone of agricultural cooperation based on the National Agricultural Research and Education Centre. It will contribute to the creation of joint processing plants and introduction of innovations in agriculture,” said Kazakh Agriculture Minister Askar Myrzakhmetov.
Kazakh AgroTechnical University also inked agreements with China’s Northwest University of Agriculture and Forestry that outline establishing a joint agricultural technology park.
Construction of a biosafety laboratory will begin in several stages.
“The first stage will run based on the grant provided by the Chinese side aimed at the establishment of a modern veterinary laboratory, where specialists will be able to conduct joint research of farm animals’ diseases. Afterwards, a laboratory of a similar kind will be established to study quarantine objects and thus we will cover the entire range of agricultural products,” added Issayeva.
State-owned Zhannur-Astana and the Chinese Tianyang Yinhai Seed Co. also inked an agreement detailing investments to create a seed cluster with a full grain processing cycle, including transferring advanced practices in seed production.
Myrzakhmetov met with Han the same day to discuss developing Kazakh-Chinese agricultural cooperation. They also touched on joint investment projects, including processing rapeseed oil, milk, meat, tomatoes and other products.
