ASTANA – Kazakhstan will expand the types of products it exports this year,, said Kazakh Vice Minister for Industry and Infrastructure Development Arystan Kabykenov at a January press conference.
“Sodium cyanide will be shipped to Russia; semolina to China, Europe, Kyrgyzstan, Iran, Russia and Uzbekistan; bags to Russia and Tajikistan; ammonium sulfate to Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan; chromium products and non-alcoholic beverages to Afghanistan, Belarus, Japan, the United Kingdom, Turkey and Turkmenistan; construction services, buses and synthetic, microfiber and cast iron products to neighbouring countries,” he said.
The ministry also plans to expand the export of railway products to Azerbaijan, Egypt and Uzbekistan; yellow phosphorus and potassium fertiliser to the United States, the Czech Republic, Germany and Poland; water, milk and meat to Afghanistan, China and Singapore; cars to Kyrgyzstan; armature to Tajikistan; cereals to Russia’s Tatarstan; safflower oil to Japan; ammonium nitrate to Georgia; ice cream to Mongolia.
Kazakhstan currently offers more than 800 manufactured goods in 113 countries and added 46 new products to its list of exported goods over the past few years.
“Kazakhstan increases its output to the external market by eight to 10 product types annually – if not new ones, then existing ones enter production on an industrial scale,” said the vice minister.
Last year, the country commissioned more than 30 export-oriented projects. Over the next three years, it plans to increase the export potential of the non-primary sector of the economy 1.5 times, said Vice Minister for Industry and Infrastructure Development Kairbek Uskenbayev. Within this time period, approximately 500 billion tenge (US$1.32 million) will be allocated toward concessional lending, pre-export financing and state guarantee provisions.
This year, export promotion and efforts to attract investment, tourism, transport and logistics opportunities will also be supported by Kazakhstan’s new trade offices. The Kazakh Chamber of Commerce is expected to open offices in Belarus (Minsk), Kyrgyzstan (Bishkek), the Russian Federation (Kazan, Moscow and Yekaterinburg), the United Arab Emirates and Uzbekistan (Tashkent). Additional offices are planned within the Eurasian Economic Union and the European Union.
