Kazakhstan and Latvia held negotiations on cooperation in the agro-industrial sector. The meeting in Astana was conducted by Yermek Kenzhekhanuly, Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Janis Irbe, Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Climate and Energy of the Republic of Latvia. Following the talks, the parties signed a memorandum of understanding on plant quarantine, the Kazakhstani Ministry of Agriculture reported.
Trade Turnover and Logistics
According to the ministry, the trade turnover of agro-industrial products between the two countries totalled USD 51.4 million at the end of 2025. Special attention during the negotiations was paid to the transit of Kazakhstani crop production through the Baltic region: in 2025, the volume of shipments through Latvian ports reached 750,000 tonnes, while since the beginning of 2026 the figure has already reached 250,000 tonnes.
Kazakhstan’s Position in the Global Market
During the meeting, the Deputy Minister briefed the Latvian side on the republic’s agricultural potential. According to the data presented, the sown area of agricultural crops in Kazakhstan amounts to approximately 24 million hectares. The country ranks 10th in the world in grain exports, 2nd in flour exports, and 8th in sunflower oil exports. Processed goods among the exported products include flour, compound feed, pasta, and deep-processed products.
Science, Education, and Phytosanitary Matters
The parties also reviewed prospects for cooperation in the field of agricultural science and education. The ministry’s statement noted that the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University and the Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies are already implementing academic mobility programmes, research internships, and joint studies. The Kazakhstani side expressed interest in expanding this cooperation, including within the framework of Erasmus+ programmes and dual-degree programmes for master’s and doctoral students.
The signed memorandum of understanding on plant quarantine is expected, in the assessment of both parties, to strengthen direct interaction between the relevant services of the two countries and to facilitate the expansion of mutual trade in agricultural products. Additionally, a Kazakhstani-Latvian business forum is planned in Astana, at which the parties intend to discuss the potential for bilateral partnership and establish new business contacts. Further promising areas include AI in agriculture, which is actively developing in Kazakhstan, as well as optical sorting in the food industry, which has the potential to improve the quality of exported products. In a broader context, these initiatives form part of Kazakhstan’s overarching digitalisation strategy, which is transforming the country into a regional IT leader.
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