Page 382 – The Times Of Central Asia

12 Feb 2025

Central Asia, Business & Economy, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Business & Economy, Kazakhstan Home

Kazakhstan to Diversify Agricultural Crops for Higher Yields and Increased Profits

February 12, 2025
By Sergey Kwan

Kazakhstan will continue diversifying its agricultural crop areas this year as part of efforts to double gross agricultural output, Minister of Agriculture Aidarbek Saparov announced at a government meeting on February 11, focused on preparations for the upcoming sowing season.

According to Saparov, Kazakhstan plans to sow crops on 23.8 million hectares in 2025, an increase of 518,000 hectares compared to 2024. The crop diversification program will cover approximately 1 million hectares, while the area dedicated to highly profitable crops will expand by 750,000 hectares.

The area under oilseed crops will increase by 365,000 hectares, reaching 3.3 million hectares, including a 50,600-hectare expansion for sunflower cultivation, bringing it to 1.3 million hectares. Potato cultivation will grow by 14,900 hectares to reach 136,800 hectares, while buckwheat fields will expand by 41,500 hectares, bringing the total to 147,000 hectares. The sugar beet planting area will increase to 18,400 hectares, and forage crops will expand by 184,000 hectares, reaching 3.4 million hectares. Cotton will be sown on 135,200 hectares, while rice will cover 90,200 hectares.

Kazakhstan will also continue to reduce its reliance on wheat monoculture. In 2025, grain crops will be sown on 16.6 million hectares, slightly down from 16.7 million hectares in 2024. Over the past two years, wheat cultivation has been reduced by nearly 730,000 hectares, including 159,000 hectares this year.

According to Saparov, diversification will help mitigate risks associated with price fluctuations in agricultural markets. Oilseeds and legumes remain in high demand both domestically and internationally, with consistently strong prices. While the average price of wheat stands at 65,000 – 70,000 KZT per ton, export-oriented crops such as flax and rapeseed can fetch 200,000 KZT per ton or more.

Beyond economic benefits, crop diversification contributes to soil health. Saparov highlighted that legumes, in particular, help enrich the soil with nitrogen, improving the yield of subsequent crops. This approach not only increases profitability but also enhances environmental sustainability.

12 Feb 2025

Business & Economy, Kazakhstan International Affairs, Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan Business & Economy

ICAO to Develop Master Plan for Kazakhstan’s Civil Aviation

February 12, 2025
By Sergey Kwan

Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Transport and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have signed an agreement to develop a strategic Master Plan for the Development of Kazakhstan’s Civil Aviation through 2050.

The plan will outline a comprehensive strategy for the country’s civil aviation sector, covering the development of airports, air navigation systems, and airlines. It will also focus on improving flight safety, aviation security, accessibility, and the liberalization of air transport.

Kazakhstan is the first country in Central Asia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) to establish a strategic partnership with ICAO for the sustainable development and modernization of its civil aviation sector. The initiative aligns with national objectives to enhance Kazakhstan’s role as a regional transit and transport hub.

According to the Ministry of Transport, domestic airlines carried 14.3 million passengers in 2024, a 9% increase from 2023. Passenger traffic at Kazakhstan’s airports also grew by 14%, reaching 29.7 million people.

Kazakhstan currently operates 582 flights per week to 31 countries, including Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Georgia, Belarus, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, South Korea, China, India, and several European nations such as Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. Additional destinations include countries in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, Turkey, and the Maldives.

12 Feb 2025

International Affairs, Kazakhstan International Affairs, Kazakhstan

UN Pays Kazakhstan $2.6 Million Annually for Military Equipment in Golan Heights

February 12, 2025
By Vagit Ismailov

The United Nations pays Kazakhstan $2.6 million per year for the lease of military equipment and weapons used in its peacekeeping mission in the Golan Heights, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Defense Minister Shaykh-Khasan Zhazykbayev announced at a Mazhilis meeting.

On February 12, Mazhilis deputies ratified a memorandum with the UN outlining the terms of Kazakhstan’s contribution to the mission. Since March 2024, 139 Kazakhstani servicemen have been deployed to the region, supported by 26 units of military equipment.

Under the agreement, UN payments are divided into two categories: approximately $2.4 million per year is allocated for personnel maintenance, while $2.6 million covers the lease of military equipment, weapons, and other resources. Each Kazakhstani peacekeeper receives a monthly salary of $1,448, along with additional payments for leave and out-of-pocket expenses.

A separate agreement between Kazakhstan and the UN regulates financial transactions. Under this arrangement, payments for military personnel go directly to the soldiers, while funds for leased equipment and property are transferred to the state budget.

During 11 months of operations in the Golan Heights, Kazakhstani peacekeepers have neutralized approximately 200 unexploded ordnance and conducted the evacuation of a UN employee. The Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan reported that in December 2024, the contingent demonstrated a high level of professionalism, efficiency, and coordination.

Meanwhile, tensions in the conflict zone remain high. The Kazakh contingent operates in a region where hostilities between Israel and Syria persist. Israel continues to expand military infrastructure in the Golan Heights, which it has controlled since 1967. However, many countries recognize the area as Syrian territory and consider it occupied.

Previously, the UN discussed the possibility of evacuating Kazakhstani peacekeepers if the security situation deteriorates.

12 Feb 2025

Environment, Central Asia, Home, Kazakhstan Environment, Kazakhstan, Features, Kazakhstan Featurees, Kazakhstan Home

Kazakhstan to Plant Nearly Half of Its Dried Aral Seabed with Saxaul

February 12, 2025
By Dmitry Pokidaev

By the end of 2025, saxaul forests will cover approximately 40% of Kazakhstan’s portion of the dried-up Aral Seabed, according to Azamat Abuov, head of the Department of Reproduction and Use of Forests and Flora at the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources.

Afforestation efforts in the former Aral Sea, once the world’s fourth-largest inland body of water, aim to restore the region’s fragile ecosystem. Both public and private entities are participating in the project, which seeks to establish a “green belt” to stabilize the soil and curb the spread of more than 100 million tons of salt, sand, and dust from the exposed seabed to surrounding areas each year. Saxaul has been selected as the primary species for reforestation due to its suitability for the region’s arid conditions.

“Currently, work on the Kazakh section has been carried out across 475,000 hectares, with additional efforts focused on natural regeneration. If we consider all initiatives together, afforestation has already covered 612,000 hectares. Plans for 2025 include an additional 428,000 hectares, bringing the total to 1.1 million hectares by the end of the year, ultimately covering about 40% of the dried-up area with saxaul,” Abuov said at a press conference in Astana. He added that approximately 300 local residents are actively involved in the project, collecting and planting saxaul seeds.

Ruslan Akhmetov, director of the Almaty branch of the Kazakh Research Institute of Forestry and Agroforestry, highlighted that planting in the dried-up Aral Sea basin presents challenges due to high soil salinity, making saxaul the optimal choice as a salt-resistant plant. To support the initiative, a nursery has been established at the site to cultivate seedlings adapted to local soil conditions.

Alibi Gaziz, general director of the Republican Forest Breeding and Seed Center, announced that two wells will be drilled in the dried seabed.

“These will serve as oases, providing watering holes for animals and nurseries nearby. Water will be drawn from depths of 500 – 600 meters, with moderate salinity, making it suitable for irrigating plants and sustaining wildlife,” he explained. According to Gaziz, wildlife has already begun returning to the saxaul plantations in Kazakhstan’s section of the former Aral Sea, with hares, foxes, and gerbils spotted in the area, signaling the ecosystem’s gradual recovery.

At its peak in the mid-20th century, the Aral Sea spanned 68,000 square kilometers along the Kazakhstan-Uzbekistan border. However, large-scale water diversion from its two main tributaries, the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, for cotton irrigation in the 1960s triggered its rapid decline. By 2007, the sea had shrunk to just 10% of its original size, marking one of the planet’s worst environmental disasters.

As The Times of Central Asia previously reported, Uzbekistan is also implementing afforestation measures to restore its portion of the dried-up Aral Sea, while broader regional efforts continue to improve water inflow to the Northern Aral Sea.

12 Feb 2025

Business & Economy, Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan International Affairs, Turkmenistan Business & Economy

Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Romania Advance Caspian Sea-Black Sea Transport Corridor

February 12, 2025
By Sergey Kwan

On February 10, representatives from the foreign ministries and transport authorities of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Romania held a video conference to discuss a draft intergovernmental agreement on the establishment and operation of the Caspian Sea-Black Sea International Transport Route, the Turkmen Foreign Ministry reported.

Participants expressed confidence that the quadrilateral agreement, expected to be signed this year, will significantly boost international freight transportation between Central Asia and Europe. They also highlighted the anticipated positive impact on trade relations among the participating countries and emphasized the importance of involving international cargo transportation organizations to enhance connectivity between European and Asian markets.

The initiative builds on a joint declaration signed by the foreign ministers of Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Romania in Bucharest in March 2019, which set the foundation for the corridor’s development.

The new transport route will link Turkmenistan’s Caspian Sea port of Turkmenbashi with Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanța, passing through the ports of Baku in Azerbaijan and Poti and Batumi in Georgia.

12 Feb 2025

Central Asia, Turkmenistan Home, Home, Turkmenistan, Turkmenistan Business & Economy, Business & Economy, Turkmenistan Features, Features

Turkmenistan to Start Natural Gas Shipments to Turkey

February 21, 2025
By Bruce Pannier

Long-discussed shipments of Turkmen natural gas to Turkey could be just weeks away.

Several options have been discussed for bringing gas to Turkey, but news since February 10 indicates Turkmenistan and Turkey chose a swap agreement involving Iran.

Turkmenistan’s state information agency TDH reported the head of the country’s Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian by phone.

During that call, Berdimuhamedov “announced the agreement with (Turkey’s) BOTAS company on the transit of Turkmen natural gas through Iran to the Republic of Turkey…”

Since there is no pipeline connecting Turkmenistan to Turkey, the agreement involves a swap deal whereby Turkmenistan ships its gas to Iran and Iran makes a like amount of its gas available to Turkey.

However, on February 11, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Alparslan Bayraktar posted on X (formerly Twitter) confirming an agreement between BOTAS and Turkmengaz.

Bayraktar said “… gas flow is planned to start on March 1, 2025.”

There were no details about the volume of gas to be delivered, but Turkish officials have previously been mentioning an initial volume of some 2 billion cubic meters (bcm).

Turkish officials have been pushing for this deal for more than two years, with the ultimate aim of turning Turkey into a gas hub to shipments to Europe.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev traveled to Turkmenistan in December 2022 to meet with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov (the son of Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov).

Erdogan and Aliyev were hoping for an agreement on construction of a pipeline to carry Turkmen gas to Azerbaijan and from there to Turkey.

Those talks were inconclusive, but did lead to a series of other meetings of officials of the three countries to discuss alternative means to ship Turkmen gas to Turkey.

The swap arrangement involving Iran was one of the possibilities raised during these meetings.

However, Turkey is still clinging to the plan for construction of a pipeline that would eventually boost Turkmen gas supplies to Turkey up to 15 bcm.

Turkish Ambassador to Ashgabat Ahmet Demirok said in September 2024 that his country was looking to purchase 300 bcm of Turkmen gas over the next 20 years.

The agreement is good news for Turkmenistan, but it also shows again how dependent Turkmenistan is becoming on Iran for gas exports.

When Turkmenistan became independent in late 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the only gas pipelines in Turkmenistan led north to Russia.

Turkmenistan was exporting gas to Russia for most of the years after independence, but in 2024 the latest agreement between the two countries expired and both countries indicated they would not renew Turkmen gas exports.

The first post-Soviet pipeline built in Turkmenistan connected to Iran. That pipeline started operations at the end of 1997.

Another pipeline from Turkmenistan to Iran was launched in 2010.

The two pipelines have a combined capacity to carry some 20 bcm, but a pricing dispute between Turkmenistan and Iran in late 2016 led Turkmenistan to halt gas shipments to Iran at the start of 2017 and they have still not resumed.

The only other gas pipelines from Turkmenistan lead to China, which is currently Turkmenistan’s only gas customer, purchasing somewhere around 35 bcm annually.

The last of those three Central Asia-China pipelines was completed more than 10 years ago. No other pipelines from Turkmenistan have been built since then.

With no other export possibilities for its gas, the Turkmen has been forced to turn to Iran for swap deals with third countries.

For several years now, Turkmenistan has an on-again-off-again arrangement to supply Azerbaijan with 1-2 bcm of gas via a swap agreement with Iran.

In late 2024, Turkmenistan reached a deal to supply Iraq with 10 bcm, again using a swap arrangement with Iran, though it is unclear when those shipments will start.

There is still a question about the condition of the pipelines from Turkmenistan to Iran that have been largely dormant for eight years.

Iranian companies will perform maintenance on the two pipelines and build a new 125-kilometer pipeline to allow boosting Turkmen gas shipments to 40 bcm.

There is no timeframe for when this work will be completed.

Iran needs Turkmen gas. The northern part of Iran is not connected to the pipeline network leading to the gas fields in southern Iran and the Persian Gulf.

The swap deals effectively resolves the problem of Turkmen gas imports for northern Iran.

Turkmenistan could stand to gain from the swap arrangements with Turkey and Iraq as the country’s economy is stagnant and gas exports account for some 80 percent or more of revenues.

But these deals rely on aging pipelines in both Iran and Turkmenistan and on those two countries maintaining friendly ties, which has not always been the case in the last 10 years.

There is also the fragility of the Iranian regime that spent huge amounts of money supporting proxies in the Middle East such as Hezbollah in Lebanon, and the Bashir Assad regime that fell in Syria in November.

Depending on the Iranian regime to be willing and able to carry out Turkmenistan’s swap agreement with third countries is risky.