NUR-SULTAN – Thirty-five Kazakh food producers participated in the third annual China International Import Exposition (CIIE) in Shanghai Nov. 5-10 signing several agreements, reported the Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration.
Photo credit: Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration
More than 1,000 representatives of Chinese companies visited the Kazakh pavilion that opened Nov. 6. Chinese companies expressed readiness to sign cooperation agreements with Kazakh companies in sunflower oil, meat and fish production.
Kazakh companies participating in the exhibition produce flour, starch, meat, fish (frozen and canned), beverages, dairy products, confectionery products and honey, vegetable oils, sauces and salt. Due to the coronavirus restrictions, tasting of products was not allowed.
The ministry said each company built B2B contacts with 10 to 30 potential Chinese partners.
The interest of Chinese companies and consumers traditionally focused on domestic organic products such as meat and vegetables. Kazakhstan boasts abundant natural resources, enormous green pastures and a favorable climate that allows for the harvesting of organic products.
Photo credit: Kazakh Ministry of Trade and Integration
Kazakh companies also conducted online meetings with potential partners via the BizConf, VooV and WeChat platforms.
In his video address to the opening of the Kazakh pavilion on Nov. 6, Kazakh Minister of Trade and Integration Bakhyt Sultanov also emphasized the role of China as the main strategic trade and investment partner of Kazakhstan in Asia.
“I am glad that the spread of COVID-19 did not affect mutual trade, but, on the contrary, according to the results of eight months of this year, trade turnover grew by 4.2 percent, amounting to nearly $10 billion. Export of our products also grew by 19.2 percent due to supplies of copper concentrates, steel, linen, and other products,” said the minister.
Kazakh companies participated in the two previous CIIE exhibitions, where they signed contracts worth more than $280 million.
This year, Kazakh companies participated in the Chinese exhibition as part of the QazTrade export acceleration program run by the country’s Ministry of Trade and Integration.
The program, which is managed by the QazTrade trade policy development center, is designed to help domestic exporters expand their export development opportunities with an intensive coaching seminar from experts and business consultants.
The first stage of the program focuses on getting agriculture and food producers out onto the world markets, exporting their goods. The ministry said Kazakhstan’s participation in the exhibition is a marked improvement compared to previous years.
