ALMATY (TCA) — A delegation of the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan visited China as part of the visit of Kazakhstan’s delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Minister of Agriculture Askar Myrzakhmetov which concluded earlier this month, Atameken reported.
During the visit, they discussed ways of implementing a number of agreements on lifting restrictions and barrier-free access of Kazakh agricultural products to the Chinese market. In particular, Kazakh producers have the opportunity to export wheat bran to the Chinese market. In addition, in April this year, the Chinese side will inspect the system of lamb meat production, which will make it possible to lift the restriction for the import of Kazakh lamb to China in the second half of 2017.
China annually imports one million tons of meat products. The potential of Kazakhstan for the export of lamb is 360 thousand tons per year.
During the visit, a large meeting was organized on the topic “China-Kazakhstan cooperation in the field of trade of agricultural and food products”, to which the Chinese Committee for the Promotion of International Trade, a partner of the Foreign Trade Chamber of Kazakhstan, invited 86 representatives of the largest trade and procurement companies and companies working with food products. Among them were processing enterprises of the food industry and they are primarily interested in removing restrictions on the import of Kazakh agricultural products, as these companies expressed interest in purchasing Kazakhstani products, especially meat, legumes, oilseeds and vegetable oil.
The sides also discussed Chinese investments and establishment of joint ventures for the production and provision of food for China. Agreements were signed with the “One Belt One Road” investment fund, representatives of Shandong Hi-speed Group Co., Ltd., and with the Association of Chinese and Foreign Businessmen of the People’s Republic of China, which includes more than 80,000 Chinese companies.
The largest business holding of China Jiangsu Muyang Holdings is also interested in purchasing Kazakh food products, in trade and logistics. In addition, Chinese entrepreneurs have voiced a new direction of cooperation in the field of agro-industrial complex to grow a new pear variety, as well as a licorice root for the production of medical products. As a result of the meetings, by 15th of April, NCE RK Atamaken will develop a joint plan of cooperation activities with each company.
