Minister says Kazakhstan offers major potential for overseas farming
Iran’s Agriculture Minister Gholamreza Nouri-Ghezeljeh said Kazakhstan’s vast farmland makes it an attractive destination for overseas cultivation.
Speaking in a meeting with Iran’s new ambassador to Kazakhstan, Mahmoud Safari, Nouri-Ghezeljeh said Kazakhstan has nearly 10 times Iran’s agricultural land and the capacity to export up to 12 million tons of farm products a year, ILNA reported on Friday.
He noted that foreign investors in Kazakhstan’s agricultural sector are limited to a maximum 49% stake in joint ventures, but said the country’s farmland still offers strong incentives for expanding overseas farming.
Nouri-Ghezeljeh said Iran’s first serious, large-scale overseas farming project took place in Kazakhstan and expressed hope the cooperation would continue.
He also said expanding shipping on the Caspian Sea is a precondition for growing trade with Kazakhstan, adding that capacity at Iran’s northern ports falls short of regional demand.
The minister said a joint Iran-Kazakhstan economic commission will be held in two to three months, preferably in the fall and hosted by northeastern Golestan Province.
Safari said Kazakhstan moves about 466 million tons of cargo by rail and 355 million tons by road each year. He said Caspian shipping capacity could multiply if port management and infrastructure were brought closer to global standards, without a major increase in the number of vessels.
About 40 Iranian commercial ships currently operate in the Caspian, he said, and their effective capacity could rise to the equivalent of 120 to 160 ships if waiting times for unloading are cut.
Safari said Kazakhstan currently exports about $240 million worth of goods to Iran and imports about $190 million from Iran, adding that both figures could rise quickly with better planning.