Kazakhstan wants to export honey, caviar, meat delicacies, high-quality spirits and other goods to Thailand. During a meeting with acting Prime Minister of Thailand and Minister of Commerce Phumtam Wechayachai, Minister of Trade and Integration of Kazakhstan Arman Shakkaliyev revealed that the country is going to expand its exports to Thailand by nearly $1 billion.
Even though it’s not clear which alcoholic beverages Kazakhstan wants to export, the range of drinks it produces is quite wide. According to the Bureau of National Statistics of Kazakhstan, from Jan. to May 2024, the country produced 3.7 million liters of cognac, 22.9 million liters of vodka, 918,000 liters of liquor, 9.5 million liters of wine, 262.5 million liters of sparkling wine and 215.3 million liters of beer.
Kazakhstani enterprises also produced 5,400 tons of fish and caviar (separate data for caviar is not available), 49,300 tons of prepared and canned meat products, 27,200 tons of sausages, 2,600 tons of canned meat and 11,300 tons of prefabricated meat. Data for honey isn’t available.
«Thailand is our key trade partner in Southeast Asia. We see that Kazakhstan has the potential of expanding its exports by more than 100 items worth more than $900 million. These include metallurgical products, chemicals and mineral resources,» the Ministry of Trade reported, citing Arman Shakkaliyev.
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov later specified that Kazakhstan is particularly interested in exporting meat, fruits and vegetables, grain crops, pastries, vegetable oils and other agricultural products.
The two sides have signed a trade and cooperation agreement which can help Kazakhstan attract Thai investors to its special economic zones, offering tax benefits and customs duty exemptions.
In turn, Wechayachai suggested establishing a Thai representative office in Kazakhstan for external trade promotion. He also invited Kazakhstani entrepreneurs to take part in a tradeshow in Thailand. The acting prime minister and minister of commerce pointed out that total investments of the two countries have reached the $100 million mark over the past five years. In 2017, Kazakhstan was the second biggest partner for Thailand from the Eurasian Economic Union, having an overall trade volume of $172 million.
The trade between Kazakhstan and Thailand grew by a third to $367.7 million in 2023, with an export turnover of $53.3 million, which means that Kazakhstan plans to boost the rate by 16 times.
According to Kazakhstan’s State Revenue Committee, Kazakhstan sold 941 tons of items worth $2.5 million to Thailand. On the other hand, Thailand sold 9.5 million tons of various items for $113.5 million to Kazakhstan. Usually, the south Asian kingdom exports fish, seafood, plants and flowers, cigarettes, rugs, clothes and shoes, vegetables, nuts, fruits, berries, tea, groats, oil and oil products, bread, coffee, plastic products and cosmetics, among many other products. In turn, Kazakhstan supplies cardboard, toilet paper, bedclothes, alloys, pipes, metal, metal goods, spare parts, tools, electrical equipment, engines and monitors to Thailand.
Moreover, Kazakhstan and Thailand are willing to cooperate in the industrial sphere. For instance, they share the intention of launching sheep wool processing, as well as fabric, leather and shoe production. For these purposes, Astana offered tax preferences and benefits to their partner. In addition, Kazakhstani authorities have proposed expanding air carriage to boost high-margin commodity trade given that the two countries have already softened visa regimes for citizens.
