ASTANA, Kazakhstan, February 21. The Senate of the Republic of Kazakhstan (upper house of Kazakh Parliament) has ratified the Agreement between the Governments of Kazakhstan and Turkey on cooperation in the field of plant quarantine and protection, Trend reports.
The document, aimed at ensuring phytosanitary security and preventing the import of quarantine-harmful organisms, envisages cooperation between scientific organizations on plant quarantine, exchange of information on new regulations in plant quarantine, and national lists of quarantine-harmful organisms.
The agreement also outlines requirements for imported consignments of quarantine-related products, accompanying documents, and the conditions for the transit of goods.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Ermek Kenzhekhanuly stated that the main imports from Türkiye include nuts, tomatoes, pepper fruits, apples, citrus species, fruit, and flower seedlings. The main export quarantine-related products from Kazakhstan are nearly all types of grains (wheat, barley, oats, sunflower) and legumes (peas, lentils, chickpeas).
"During the same period, 76 attempts to import products that do not meet phytosanitary requirements were detected. In 6 cases, quarantine objects were found. Due to the increased volume of moving quarantine-related products, there is a risk of the entry of quarantine objects into the territory, the spread of which would negatively affect the phytosanitary situation in the territories of our countries," emphasized the deputy minister.
The adoption of the bill for ratifying the agreement provides an opportunity for the plant quarantine services of both countries to take the development of further cooperation to a new level.
To note, over the past three years, about 700,000 tons of plant products have been exported to Türkiye, while imports amounted to more than 40,000 tons of various agricultural crops and 2.7 million pieces of planting and seed material.
