Tajikistan and Kazakhstan have reportedly agreed to launch joint ventures on production of wheat flour and cooking (cotton) oil in Tajikistan.
The Tajikistan-Kazakhstan business forum that took place in Kazakhstan’s capital, Astana, on May 3 on 0the sidelines of Tajik President Emomali Rahmons’ state visit to Kazakhstan has resulted in signing of dozens of cooperation documents totaling worth 1.8 billion U.S. dollars, with one third of them being US$600 million worth of agreements related to grain deals.
Speaking at a briefing in Dushanbe on the results of Tajik president’s state visit to Kazakhstan, Kazakhstan’s Ambassador to Tajikistan Valikhan Turekhanov noted on May 12 that Kazakhstan provides the bulk of Tajikistan’s wheat and flour imports.
“Besides, we have reserves to increase export of vegetable oil, pasta, dairy products and confectionary to Tajikistan,” Kazakh diplomat said, noting that Kazakhstan, for its part, is interested in importing fruits and vegetables from Tajikistan on a systematic basis.
During the business forum in Astana, the parties have agreed to discuss the launch of joint ventures on processing, production and storage of agricultural goods in Tajikistan.
They reportedly agreed to launch joint enterprises on producing wheat flour and cooking (cotton) oil as well as processing livestock products in Tajikistan.
Several Tajikistan-Kazakhstan joint ventures have operated in the Tajik northern province of Sughd for already long time.
Meanwhile, the Government of Kazakhstan is currently discussing the issue of gradually decreasing grain exports as they are interested in exporting grain-processed goods, including wheat flour.
It is to be noted that over the first three months of this year, Kazakhstan has been the second major trading partner of Tajikistan following Russia.
According to data of the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan, a two-way trade between Tajikistan and Kazakhstan over the first three months of this year has valued at 310,383,500 US dollars. This consisted of Tajikistan’s exports to Kazakhstan estimated at 93,436,200 US dollars and Tajikistan’s imports from Kazakhstan worth 216,947,300 US dollars.
Last year, the bilateral trade between the two countries reportedly valued at 1,441,181,200 US dollars. This consisted of Tajikistan’s exports to Kazakhstan estimated at 483,915,400 US dollars and Tajikistan’s imports from Kazakhstan worth 957,265,800 US dollars.
