ASTANA, Kazakhstan, March 14. Kazakhstan is interested in increasing exports of agricultural products to Azerbaijan, said the Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan Aidarbek Saparov, Trend reports.
He made the remark during a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Majnun Mammadov.
"Kazakhstan is interested in providing the Azerbaijani market with sunflower oil, confections, chocolate, butter, ice cream, meat and meat products, and other goods. Kazakhstan will be able to export goods worth an extra $75 million as a result. Kazakhstan, for its part, is also looking on the neighboring state for supplies of nuts, early vegetables, and fresh fruits," he said.
According to him, efforts are being made to remove veterinary limitations on both sides. As a result, in February 2023, veterinary certifications were decided upon for the export of cattle, small cattle, and completed meat products (such as canned food and sausages) from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan.
In addition to this, the minister noted that Kazakhstan is interested in establishing more active investment cooperation in the field of agriculture. "The agro-industrial sector of Kazakhstan has great potential, and we invited Azerbaijani partners to pay attention to investment opportunities in the agro-industrial sector," he said.
In conclusion, Saparov extended an invitation to Majnun Mammadov to attend the Organization of Turkic States member states' meeting and the Turkic Agribusiness Forum, which is scheduled to take place in Taraz on March 19–21.
Meanwhile, the volume of trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan amounted to $529.4 million in 2023. The volume of trade turnover increased by 14.2 percent compared to the same period in 2022 ($463.3 million).
At the same time, in the structure of trade turnover, exports to Azerbaijan for the above period amounted to $456.3 million, which is 21.6 percent more than from January through December 2022.
In addition, imports from Azerbaijan from January through December 2023 decreased by 17.3 percent and amounted to $73 million. In 2022, imports amounted to $88.3 million.