Kazakhstan Business & Economy - The Times Of Central Asia

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Year of Kazakhstan Tourism in China to Begin in March

On January 22nd, Kazakhstan’s minister for tourism and sports, Ermek Marzhikpayev, discussed with his Chinese counterpart, Sun Yeli, plans for holding the ‘Year of Kazakhstan Tourism in China’ in 2024, the Kazakh Ministry of Tourism and Sports has reported. During the meeting, the Kazakh Ministry of Tourism and Sports presented the concept for the Year of Kazakhstan Tourism, which includes a number of large events in major Chinese cities. This year was declared the ‘Year of Kazakhstan Tourism in China’ during an official visit to China in 2023 by Kazakhstan’s president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The official opening of the Year of Tourism is scheduled for the end of March, and in total more than 25 different events are planned. “China is one of the priority tourism markets and partners for Kazakhstan. This is due to the geographical location of the two countries and deep historical ties along the Silk Road. Today, the tourist flow between our countries is returning to pre-pandemic levels,” Mr Marzhikpayev said. China was second on the list of countries whose citizens visited Kazakhstan in 2023, behind only Russia. According to official statistics, over the first nine months of last year more than 75,000 Chinese tourists stayed in Kazakh hotels, while over 200,000 visitors from China came to Kazakhstan overall. With the introduction of a visa-free regime for Chinese citizens from November 10th last year, and the planned increase in the number of direct flights between Kazakhstan and China to 30 per week this year, a further increase in the tourist flow from China is expected, the ministry said.

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Kazakhstan Seeks FAO Support in Promoting Exports of Aport Apples

During his official visit to Italy on January 18th, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev met with Director General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Qu Dongyu. Tokayev and the FAO head attended a presentation of the famous Kazakh aport apples as part of the FAO’s One Country One Priority Product program, the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture reported. “Kazakhstan is widely known as the birthplace of apples,” the President said. “Aport apples grow in the vicinity of Almaty, the largest metropolis in our country and my hometown. Translated from Kazakh, ‘Almaty’ means ‘place of abundance of apples.’” Aport apples are distinguished by their large size, distinct smell, and their succulent nature. One of the main landmarks in Almaty, the first sight to greet visitors to the Kok-Tobe Mountain which looms over the city is a granite statue of an apple with water gushing from its core.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image="13860" img_size="full" el_class="scond-image" parallax_scroll="no" woodmart_inline="no"][vc_column_text woodmart_inline="no" text_larger="no"]Tokayev expressed his hope that Kazakhstan’s initiative to promote aport exports on world markets will be supported by the FAO. In 1970, there were 3.8 million aport trees in Kazakhstan, but by 1984, only 1.4 million remained. In 2012, scientific research began on the revival and rejuvenation of the variety, including the establishment of an experimental garden of aport grafted onto Sievers apple trees, where in 2023, Kazakh scholars harvested the first large fruits weighing 400-500 g. FAO's One Country One Priority Product program was launched in September 2021. It focuses on initiatives for the green development of high-value agricultural products with unique qualities and special characteristics associated with a geographic region, agricultural practices, and cultural heritage. Other countries with their own distinct products also participate in the program. For example, Turkey is represented by figs, Moldova by table grapes, and Uzbekistan by cherries.

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New Trade and Logistics Center Opened on Kazakhstan-China Border

On January 19th, a new international trade and logistics center began operations on the Kazakh-Chinese border near the village of Dostyk, with the aim of improving cross-border logistics infrastructure and increase the capacity of the Alakol customs post, the Ministry of Transport of Kazakhstan reported. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has repeatedly spoken about speeding up the passage of freight trucks across the Kazakh-Chinese border. “To fulfil the instructions given by the head of state, we are planning to open more such hubs for the processing and storage of cargo. The new transport and logistics center is the first hub on [Kazakhstan’s] eastern borders,” Vice Minister of Transport, Maksat Kaliakparov said at the opening ceremony of the new logistics center. The new logistics center will increase the capacity of the Alakol customs post from 200 to 600 trucks per day, thereby increasing the daily cargo turnover from 4,000 to 12,000 tons. In annual terms, cargo turnover will increase from one million to three million tons. “Currently, 180 vehicles pass through the Alakol customs post in one direction. This year we plan to complete the modernization of this post and increase the cargo flow to 500 vehicles,” said Zhandos Duysembiev, Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of the Ministry of Finance of Kazakhstan. The new logistics center is located on an area of 13.5 hectares, 3.5 of which are occupied by warehouse premises and infrastructure, whilst 10 hectares are allocated for the parking of freight vehicles. For the next three years, the logistics center has been transferred to the management of the state company, Nur Zholy customs services, which is wholly-owned by the State Revenue Committee.

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Kazakhstan Invites German Businesses to Invest in Its Agriculture Sector

The Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan, Erbol Taszhurekov spoke about the prospects for expanding cooperation between agricultural producers in Kazakhstan and Germany during the round table event, Development of the agricultural sector of Kazakhstan: opportunities for investors, on January 19th. The meeting of representatives of agribusinesses from the two countries took place within the framework of the World Forum on Food and Agriculture and the Green Week exhibition, which is currently taking place in Berlin, the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan reported. In his remarks, Taszhurekov pointed out that there is significant unrealized potential for the building of bilateral partnerships in the agricultural sector, and proposed intensifying contacts between ministries, industry associations, and agricultural producers of Kazakhstan and Germany. Taszhurekov named land resources and human capital among the key factors in the investment attractiveness of Kazakhstan’s agro-industrial sector. The Kazakh side also indicated their interest in developing joint projects in the deep processing of grain, processing of oilseeds, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits and vegetables, meat and milk, as well as in fish farming and baby food production. According to the National Bank of Kazakhstan, as of the end of 2023 the gross inflow of foreign direct investment in Kazakhstan’s agriculture amounted to $39.9 million.

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Chinese Agricultural Drones May Be Manufactured in Kazakhstan

On January 17th, a delegation from Kazakhstan led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Abulkhair Tamabek visited the assembly site of the company, Eavision Robotic Technologies in the city of Suzhou in China’s Jiangsu Province. The company specializes in the production of unmanned aerial vehicles for monitoring and protection from pests, plant diseases and weeds, using artificial intelligence technology. During the meeting with Xinyu Wang, General Director of Eavision Robotic Technologies, the delegation discussed a project for localizing the production of agricultural drones in Kazakhstan. Emphasizing the uniqueness of such a project, the Ministry of Agriculture stated that there are no such similar production facilities in Russia or any other Central Asian countries. As a result of the negotiations, a Memorandum of Technical Cooperation was signed for the manufacture of agricultural drones in Kazakhstan. The two sides agreed to develop a roadmap for the implementation of the project, and determine the location of production facilities in Kazakhstan and potential sales markets, including in neighboring countries.

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President Tokayev Calls on Italian Businesses to Invest in Kazakhstan

The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on January 18th paid an official visit to Italy, holding talks with Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. During the discussion, Tokayev stated that Kazakhstan and Italy maintain a wide-ranging political dialogue and have established close economic cooperation, as well as fruitful cultural and humanitarian ties, his press service reported. “We are proud to be Italy's main partner in Central Asia. Our economic cooperation is developing dynamically and has enormous potential for further growth,” Tokayev said. Italy is among the largest investors in Kazakhstan’s economy, with trade turnover between the two countries amounting to approximately $15 billion, whilst direct foreign investment from Italy has reached $7.3 billion. More than 300 Italian companies currently operate in Kazakhstan, including such large investors as ENI, SDF Group, PetroValves, Maire Tecnimont, IVECO, and Tenaris. Meloni confirmed Italy’s commitment to developing contacts with Kazakhstan, stating that “We consider your visit an excellent opportunity to further strengthen Kazakh-Italian relations.” During the talks, the leaders focused on deepening cooperation in the spheres of trade, economy, investment, energy, transport and logistics, agriculture, culture, humanitarian, education spheres, and green energy. In their joint statement, Tokayev and Meloni noted the launch of major transport and connectivity initiatives in Central Asia, particularly those related to the development of the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. They also emphasized the importance of holding the Central Asia + Italy format meeting in Rome later in 2024, and in Kazakhstan in 2025. As part of the visit, an agreement was signed between the Kazakh Samruk-Kazyna Fund and the Italian group of companies, Cassa Depositi i Prestiti on the creation of a joint investment fund and financing in manufacturing, energy and logistics, as well as a joint final investment decision between the Kazakh national oil and gas company, KazMunayGas, and the Italian company, ENI, on a joint project for the construction of a hybrid power plant (wind and solar) with a total capacity of 247 MW in Kazakhstan. On the same day, President Tokayev attended the Investment Roundtable, Kazakhstan-Italy, in Rome. Speaking to representatives of the Italian business community, Tokayev stated that the energy sector is the main area of economic cooperation between the two countries. “More than 80% of Kazakhstan’s oil is exported to Europe, which provides for about 10% of the EU’s needs. I would like to express my gratitude to Italy, a long-time and reliable energy partner of Kazakhstan. We highly appreciate the contribution of the Italian flagship company ENI to the economy of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan provides ample opportunities in the field of oil and gas exploration. We implement the best global practices to discover significant deposits. We also invite Italian companies to participate in servicing the oil and gas industry,” the President said. Tokayev also called on Italian businesses to cooperate in the extraction and processing of critical raw materials. “According to World Bank estimates, there are more than 5,000 undiscovered deposits in Kazakhstan worth over 46 trillion dollars. Today, we already produce 19 of the 34 most important...