Kazakhstan Aims to Increase Grain Exports to Iran

Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov met today with a delegation from the Islamic Republic of Iran, led by Minister of Agriculture Jihad Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh.

From the Kazakh side, the meeting was attended by Minister of Agriculture Aidarbek Saparov, Minister of Trade and Integration Arman Shakkaliyev, and Governor of Mangistau region Nurdaulet Kilybay, The Caspian Post reports citing Kazinform.

The discussion centered around the outcomes of the 20^th session of the Kazakh-Iranian Intergovernmental Commission for Trade-Economic, Scientific-Technical and Cultural Cooperation on implementation of the agreements concluded at the level of the heads of state aimed at enhancing mutual commodity turnover.

The sides discussed joint plans between the relevant ministries of Kazakhstan and Iran aimed at further development of cooperation in agriculture, increasing trade in agricultural products and assistance in the development of transit and logistics infrastructure.

The Kazakh side expressed intention to boost grain exports to 2 million tons and barley exports to 1 million tons per annum.

In January-April 2025, the export of home-produced agricultural products rose threefold reaching $116 million.

In turn, the Iranian side expressed interest in exchange of experience in cattle-breeding and poultry industry.

Another promising area for cooperation is processing high-value added agricultural products. The sides explored the possibility of investment cooperation based on the example of launch of safflower oil production by Kaz-Ir Agro and fried potatoes production by Solico Group.

When discussing the interaction in transport and logistics, the meeting participants expressed joint interest in boosting transit potential of the Caspian Sea and expansion of the North-South corridor opportunities.

In 5 months of the current year, the volume of cargo transit along this route through Kazakhstan rose by 74% and reached 1.5 million tons.

The meeting ended with creation of a working group for operational implementation of the plans aimed at increasing trade-economic cooperation.

In 2024, commodity turnover between Kazakhstan and Iran exceeded $340 million. In January-April, this indicator surged by 78.3% and reached $173.5 million.