Kazakhstan and Netherlands Increasing Cooperation in Agriculture
On October 28 this year, a Kazakh-Dutch round table was held at the site of JSC "NC "KAZAKH INVEST," dedicated to increasing bilateral investment cooperation in agro-industrial complex. The event was attended by Director of the Investment Promotion Department Nurzhan Abilkhaiyr, Coordinator for Central Asia of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Netherlands Sarah Vissers Ravichandran, representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, JSC "QazTrade" and the Embassy of the Netherlands in Kazakhstan.
The Dutch business delegation headed by S. Vissers Ravichandran included representatives of companies such as Van der Ploeg, Fullwood JOZ B.V., Lely International, and VDK Agri in the field of animal husbandry, Prime HortiSolutions, and Venlo Projecten Holding B.V. engaged in greenhouse equipment, as well as representatives of the seed companies – Rijk Zwaan and Solynta. The delegation arrived in Kazakhstan within the framework of the agreements reached at the second meeting of the Kazakh-Dutch Working Group, held in early September this year in the Netherlands. As part of the visit program, the delegation also plans to visit Almaty to meet with representatives of Kazakhstani businesses and participate in the AgroWorld Qazaqstan 2024 exhibition.
The round table was moderated by Ari Veldhausen, Adviser on Agriculture at the Embassy of the Netherlands, and Ulbosyn Sarybayeva, a foreign representative of KAZAKH INVEST, who noted the high activity of business in both countries in the agro-industrial complex.
During the event, N. Abilkhaiyr presented on the investment climate of the Republic of Kazakhstan, state support measures, and key areas for the development of cooperation in the field of agriculture.
"Agriculture and the food industry are the key sectors of Kazakhstan's economy, providing over 7% of domestic value added. The country has 180 thousand hectares of pastures and meets international environmental and food safety standards. The Government also supports the sector by reimbursing, for example, up to 25% of the cost of building dairy farms. Kazakhstan's agro-industrial complex has significant potential to stabilize the global food situation and offers favorable conditions for investment. In this regard, we invite Dutch businesses to jointly implement agricultural projects," said the Investment Promotion Department Director.
The round table program included brief presentations by Dutch agribusiness companies and more detailed presentations from government organizations. The event ended with an open discussion, during which the participants exchanged views, discussed topical issues, and outlined possible projects. The round table highlighted the commitment of both countries to strengthen partnerships, introduce innovations in the agricultural sector, and achieve common goals in the fields of economic growth and sustainable development.
