NUR-SULTAN (TCA) — The Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture has prepared road maps that will allow Kazakhstan enterprises to enter foreign markets with a wider range of products, Deputy Agriculture Minister Gulmira Issayeva told a press conference last week, the official website of the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan reported.
Issayeva said that Kazakhstan fully satisfies domestic needs for basic foodstuffs. Now the task is to increase production and access to foreign markets.
“We produce enough for ourselves, and in order to increase production we need access to the markets of other countries,” she said.
However, the question of import dependence remains relevant for several types of products. This is poultry meat, some types of fruit, and fish.
“Now we are very actively lending and building broiler farms in order to increase the production of poultry meat. There is also a program for the development of fruit production, specifically apples and pears, the import of marine fish, since Kazakhstan produces only river fish and aquaculture,” Issayeva said.
The ministry has developed two roadmaps that contribute to the development of domestic production.
“In the Roadmap for the Development of Organic Production, we raise issues that must be addressed jointly with other government agencies. For example, with the Ministry of Industry and Infrastructure Development, we must resolve issues of accreditation and certification for organic products, and together with the Ministry of Information and Social Development, we must resolve issues of halal products. For example, we set the goal to increase exports to Muslim countries,” the deputy minister said.
At the same time, Issayeva said, export to Muslim markets is possible only if each batch of products is certified for compliance with the requirements for halal food. It is necessary to take into account the specifics of this market, because most Kazakhstani enterprises have certificates of Malaysian Halal standard. Today in different countries standards have different requirements, and the Road Map will allow to take into account all discrepancies.
“We know that the market of the United Arab Emirates has its own standard requirements, so the Road Map reflects all the moments. I think its implementation and the assistance planned for our farmers within the framework of the roadmap will help us increase export volumes and, most importantly, will help our farmers to sell their products as premium-class products — at a higher price,” Issayeva said.
