ASTANA – Kazakhstan and China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR) agreed to increase trade turnover of agricultural products to $1 billion a year, as Kazakh Minister of Agriculture Yerbol Karashukeyev met with Secretary of the XUAR Communist Party Ma Xingrui on May 9, reported the ministry’s press service on May 10.
Photo credit: Agriculture Ministry.
According to Karashukeyev, Kazakhstan is willing to expand cooperation in agriculture and increase mutual supplies of agricultural products. China is currently witnessing a growing demand for the consumption of organic and environmentally friendly agricultural products.
Kazakhstan is ready to resume the supply of frozen meat and start exporting chilled meat and fish products, poultry meat and offal, pork, eggs, horse meat, and other goods.
However, the export potential is hampered by temporary veterinary restrictions from the Chinese side, Karashukeyev said. Kazakhstan has all the necessary resources to ensure the prevention of infectious diseases, according to the expert mission of the World Organization for Animal Health.
“The current practice of reciprocal restrictions on animal diseases results in trade barriers that last for years. I think the time has come to reconsider inefficient trade approaches and move towards the recognition of the regionalization of our countries without restricting exports from the entire territory. It is also necessary to reduce the approval time of veterinary and phytosanitary requirements,” Karashukeyev said.
According to the minister, Kazakhstan has opportunities to increase the volume of annual grain deliveries to more than 1 million tons. Legumes and press-cake of oil-bearing seed may be added to the list of products supplied to XUAR, significantly increasing trade between the two countries.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to establish a working group to enhance cooperation in the agro-industrial complex.
