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Henkel, a leading German chemical and consumer goods company, is to transfer its Central Asian and Caucasus office to Kazakhstan alongside further investment in expanding its construction mix production in the country. The announcement was made at a meeting between Azamat Panbaev, Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Industry and Construction, and Mikhail Yershov, CEO of Henkel for the Central Asian and Caucasus regions on 12 April. The company has enjoyed a long allegiance with Kazakhstan, dating back to 2006, and in addition, has operations in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia, as well as factories in Kunayev (formerly Kapshagai) in Kazakhstan and Tbilisi in Georgia. The move, spurred by the complexity of logistical chains, aims to optimize Henkel’s production in Eurasia and localize production to be closer to the consumer.
The latest Macroeconomic Review for the EDB’s six member states — Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan – was released by the Eurasian Development Bank on April 12th. Despite the challenging external economic environment, the report illustrates robust economic growth amongst all its members in January-February this year and according to short-term economic activity indicators, high GDP growth is set to continue. Fuelled by capital investment, Kazakhstan’s economy expanded by 4.2%, and Kyrgyzstan experienced a GDP surge of 8.6%, largely due to intensified investment activity, which spiked to 55%. Propelled by a dynamic increase in industrial output, economic activity in Armenia rose by 13.6%, and Belarus’s economy grew by 4% during the same period, boosted by manufacturing and retailing industries. In Russia, industrial production remains the prime driver of economic growth, raising the nation’s GDP by 6.0%, and Tajikistan’s high growth rates are maintained by consumption and investment sectors. In conclusion, the EDB reports that domestic demand within its represented countries is propelled by national projects, including increased public investment in Armenia, import substitution programs in Belarus and Russia, and the development of mechanical engineering in Kazakhstan and energy sectors in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
At a press conference on April 11, Minister of Economy and Commerce of the Kyrgyz Republic Daniyar Amangeldiev reported that amounting to $2.255 billion in January- February, Kyrgyzstan’s foreign trade turnover had increased by a 28.3% compared to the previous year. Kyrgyzstan’s exports increased by 18.4% to $307.5 million and imports rose by 30%, to $1.947 billion. At the beginning of the year, Kyrgyzstan’s trade with fellow members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) — Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Russia — amounted to $482.7 million, illustrating a fall of 17.9% compared to the same period in 2023. Most of the country’s trade with the EAEU was with Russia (69.4%) and Kazakhstan (28.2%). Compared to January-February 2023, Kyrgyzstan’s trade with other countries grew 1.5-fold and reached $1.8 billion.
KTZ Express JSC (a subsidiary of Kazakhstan’s national railways company Kazakhstan Temir Zholy) and Finnish Nurminen Logistics Services Oy, have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation for container transportation from China to Finland along the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR) through the Kazakhstan. At a meeting of the Kazakh-Finnish intergovernmental commission on April 11 in Astana, Deputy Minister of Transport of Kazakhstan Maksat Kaliakparov emphasized the strategic importance of cooperation and development of transit opportunities between the two countries regarding trade between China and Southeast Asian countries and the European Union: “Kazakhstan is the main link in the TITR, or the Middle Corridor, and has already shown potential as an alternative to East – West routes. This is evidenced by an 86% increase in cargo transhipment through the seaports of Aktau and Kuryk, the volume of which rose to 2.8 million tons. The TITR is a ‘green-light’ corridor. Today, the cargo transit time has been reduced from 23 to 14-18 days, including 5 days in Kazakhstan. In 2023, the volume of cargo transportation along the TITR increased by 65%.” To illustrate the potential for cargo transportation between Kazakhstan and the EU, Kaliakparov reported a steady rise in the transportation of cargo through Kazakhstan along the China-Finland-China route. Compared to the previous year, in 2023, the volume of cargo transported by rail increased by 25% (4.3 million tons), and by road, by 14% (7.3 million tons).
The Association of Kazakhstan Freight Railway Carriers is reporting that an Emirati company, AD Ports, is planning to build a new port and economic zone. The area that the company has identified for the zone is located to the south of the Iraqi city of Basra; if the project goes ahead, it will be an alternative to Egypt's Suez Canal in transcontinental freight shipping. "AD Ports (an Abu Dhabi-based port and logistics operator) has signed a preliminary agreement with the state-owned company managing Iraqi ports to establish a joint venture," commented the Kazakh freight association. According to them, AD's plan, centering on the new port called Grand Faw, is to create a corridor for Asian-European trade, bypassing the Egyptian city of Suez. The Grand Faw Port is set to become one of the largest in the Middle East, with terminals for handling containerized, bulk and liquid cargo. The corridor is expected to be ready by 2038. In Kazakhstani it is believed that the project is promising, but extremely costly. "We should not forget that all land logistics corridors are more costly than sea corridors. That's why Kazakhstan has such problems with logistics -- it has no access to the sea. Even if the Suez Canal is closed and the Panama Canal shoals [becomes shallow], sea transport will be more profitable. Yes, alternatives are needed. However, I would not count heavily on the new project," economist Andrei Chebotarev told The Times of Central Asia. Chebotarev referenced Kazakhstan's plan to build the North-South transport corridor. A new logistics route alternative to Suez would be a good addition; however, so far the UAE hasn't included Kazakhstan in its plans. Due to the recent attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on vessels in the Red Sea, the volume of maritime traffic through the Suez Canal has decreased, which in turn has increased demand for freight transport via multimodal routes.
According to China’s customs statistics, in January-February 2024, Kyrgyzstan imported cars from China worth $510.3 million. Rising from 43rd place in 2023, Kyrgyzstan was ranked the world’s 6th largest buyer of Chinese cars at the beginning of this year. Only 5 countries exceeded Kyrgyzstan’s expenditure on Chinese cars in the same period: Russia, $1.5 billion; Belgium, $1.1 billion; UK, $1 billion; Mexico, $660 million; and Brazil, $590 million. As reported by Kyrgyzstan’s National Statistics Committee, in 2023 Kyrgyzstan imported 79,131 cars worth around $1.2 billion from China, an almost 45-fold increase compared to the 1,773 cars imported in 2022. One of the key reasons for the recent steep rise in Kyrgyzstan’s importation of Chinese cars is the war in Ukraine. As a result of Western sanctions, China has fast become Russia’s main supplier of new cars, a large percentage of which are re-exported to the country by Central Asia, especially Kyrgyzstan.
