This week, representatives of Latvian food and agriculture businesses, the Ministry of Agriculture and its subordinate institutions concluded a successful working visit to Kazakhstan. The Latvian delegation, led by Jānis Irbe, former Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Climate and Energy, met with Kazakh businesses and officials to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in agriculture, food production, forestry, education, transport and logistics.
“Kazakhstan is an important and promising partner for Latvia in Central Asia, and this visit demonstrated that our businesses have clear objectives for the Kazakh market. I am confident that continued dialogue and the interest shown by both sides will allow us to turn the ideas discussed into concrete cooperation projects that will strengthen economic ties between Latvia and Kazakhstan,” said Jānis Irbe, former Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Climate and Energy.
Discussions with Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources focused on practical opportunities for cooperation in food safety, veterinary and phytosanitary matters, trade and certification, which could facilitate trade in agricultural and food products. At the Latvia–Kazakhstan business cooperation forum and during discussions with representatives of the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, businesses from both countries explored potential cooperation in livestock breeding and information and communication technologies, as well as opportunities for exporting peat products. An important part of the visit was a meeting with Yermahambet Bulekpayev, Akim of the Karaganda Region, and a visit to Karaganda Airport, where opportunities for air cargo transport of cattle and agricultural products from Latvia to Kazakhstan were discussed.
“Latvian agriculture is one of the country’s leading production and export sectors, while food production is both a matter of national security and a foundation for many other industries. The prolonged uncertainty and rapid changes in global developments mean that we have to adapt to the market much faster. For us, mineral fertilisers, which are essential for producing high-quality yields, are a particularly important issue. Although we are already familiar with mineral fertilisers from Kazakhstan, during the visit VAKS established new contacts and strengthened existing ties with producers, traders, logistics service providers, farmers and policymakers. It was very important to see these processes from Kazakhstan’s perspective. Safe and effective cooperation requires all sides – Latvia, the European Union and Kazakhstan – to work together. Together we achieve more!” said Indulis Jansons, Chairman of the Board of the cooperative society “VAKS”.
Jānis Šolks, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Central Union of Dairy Farmers, said: “The visit was very well organised, with meetings systematically planned around the sector’s interests and current priorities. We previously exported dairy products worth around EUR 3 million a year to Kazakhstan, but exports have now declined significantly due to the geopolitical situation. Our discussions with logistics service providers in Kazakhstan give us hope that trade could be resumed. We also met several partners who would be ready to develop practical cooperation to bring Latvian products, particularly cheese, to supermarket shelves in Kazakhstan. Our producers have already identified products suitable for the Kazakh market.”
“Kazakhstan is a long-standing and important cooperation partner and a highly significant market. At the same time, we are now operating in substantially different geopolitical and economic circumstances, which require many issues to be addressed anew. The working visit and the high-level business forum provided a highly valuable platform for taking a broader look at the potential for cooperation between the Port of Ventspils, Latvia as a whole and Kazakhstan under current conditions,” said Igors Udadovs, CEO of the Freeport of Ventspils Authority.
The Latvian business delegation included representatives of JSC “Riga Port Group”, JSC “Baltijas Tranzīta Serviss”, agricultural services cooperative society “LATRAPS”, cooperative society “VAKS”, cooperative society “Jurgensburg Agro”, LTD “Cēsu gaļas kombināts”, LTD “Rēzeknes gaļas kombināts”, JSC “Smiltenes piens”, the association “Latvijas Piensaimnieku Centrālā Savienība”, LTD “Sertifikācijas un testēšanas centrs” and JSC “Latvijas valsts meži”.