ASTANA, Kazakhstan, July 2. As part of his working trip to Italy and participation in the 44th session of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Conference, Kazakhstan's Minister of Agriculture, Aidarbek Saparov, held a series of meetings with the heads of agricultural ministries from European countries, including Estonia, Italy, and Latvia, Trend reports.
During a bilateral meeting with the Minister of Regional Affairs and Agriculture of Estonia, Hannes Teras, Aidarbek Saparov expressed interest in deepening cooperation with Estonia.
Special attention was given to issues of agricultural product trade. In the first four months of 2025, the trade volume in the agro-industrial sector increased sixfold, driven by the growth in exports of Kazakhstan's rapeseed and cake.
"One of the promising directions is animal husbandry, particularly the import of pedigree dairy cattle. Kazakhstan is implementing a preferential credit program in the agro-industrial complex, including financing for dairy farms. We are interested in studying Estonia's experience in farm automation and the application of high-performance genetics, as well as implementing joint projects on the creation of modern dairy farms and milk processing," said the minister.
In a strategic dialogue with the Deputy Minister of Agriculture,
Food Safety, and Forestry of Italy, the potential for enhancing
bilateral synergies within the agricultural domain was thoroughly
examined.
Furthermore, Saparov highlighted the escalation in bilateral
commerce of agrarian commodities: during the inaugural quarter of
2025, the trade volume surged by 59 percent, culminating in a total
of $105.9 million.
Specifically, the outbound shipments of Kazakh wheat experienced a
remarkable escalation of 47 percent, reaching a total of 247,300
tons. Additionally, the export volume of pulses surged
exponentially by a factor of 103, culminating in 13,700 tons.
Furthermore, the cake sector transitioned from a baseline of zero
to an impressive 3,400 tons in exports.
The stakeholders engaged in a comprehensive dialogue regarding the
operationalization of the accords established during President
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's diplomatic mission to Italy in January
2024. This encompasses the establishment of Excellence Centers
aimed at facilitating the transition to European quality benchmarks
and organic production methodologies at the S. Seifullin Kazakh
Agrotechnical University, alongside the execution of strategic
investment initiatives in collaboration with Italian
enterprises.
In the course of deliberations with the Honorable Minister of
Agriculture of Latvia, Armands Krauze, strategic avenues for
enhancing bilateral synergies within the agro-industrial domain
were explored, encompassing the transfer of cutting-edge
technologies, optimization of supply chain logistics, and fostering
scientific and educational partnerships.
