Beijing Capital Agro, a Chinese food product producer, is going to invest more than $600 million in beef farming in Kazakhstan. This statement followed a meeting between Kazakhstan’s Minister of Agriculture Aidarbek Saparov and executives of Chinese companies CITIC Construction and Beijing Capital Agro.
«Under this project, we are going to create dry feed lots and partner with more than 600 farms and existing dry feed lots as anchor partners. More than 3,500 jobs are expected to be created,» the Ministry of Agriculture said in a statement.
As Saparov explained, in February 2024, the Chinese government lifted all restrictions on the export of meat products from the southern and eastern regions of Kazakhstan. As a result, Kazakhstani businesses were able to restore their meat exports to China. The first batch of beef was exported to China in June. During their last meeting on July 17, the two sides signed three new contracts for $75 million in total. Furthermore, Kazakhstan wants to expand the number of types of exported products. Currently, there are ten items on the list. Apart from imports of beef, China is also interested in purchasing livestock.
«During the official visit of President of China Xi Jinping to Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Agriculture and the General Administration of Customs of China signed a protocol on veterinary requirements for cattle exports. We are open to cooperation and implementation of joint investment projects in agriculture,» the minister underlined.
At the meeting, three Kazakhstani companies – Meat Processing and Service, Agro Silk Way and Astana Agro Product – signed three contracts with their Chinese counterparts to export meat and livestock to China.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, China is one of Kazakhstan’s three largest trading partners in the sphere of agriculture. In 2023, the agricultural product turnover reached $1.3 billion, a 67% increase over 2022. The volume of farming product exports to China grew twofold to $1 billion. China primarily imports grain and oil crops and various oils from Kazakhstan.
