On March 19, COFCO Chairman Zhao Shuanglian met with the Minister of Agriculture of Kazakhstan Asylzhan Mamytbekovand his delegation at COFCO Plaza. The two sides exchanged views on how to strengthen agricultural cooperation between the two countries.

Mr. Zhao Shuanglian expressed his pleasure of conducting friendly consultation and discussion with Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture, Kazakh ambassador to China, and the visiting delegation. With a long history of trade contacts and exchanges between COFCO and Kazakhstan, the two sides have always maintained a sound cooperation with each other. COFCO will make a serious study of projects proposed by Kazakhstan and look into the feasibility of cooperation.

Vice President Chi Jingtao noted that the cooperation between COFCO and NC Food Contract Corporation JSC.
 is gradually becoming smoother, as evidenced by COFCO’s rising import volume of Kazakh wheat every month since October 2015. COFCO’s 13th Five-year Plan will focus on the development of grain, oil, food and meat businesses. Mr. Chi expressed his hope that this meeting will start full-fledged cooperation between two sides.

Mr. Mamytbekov pledged that Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture will try to implement the consensus reached between Chinese and Kazakh governments. He said that President Xi Jinping’s “Road and Belt” strategic initiative dovetails nicely with the new economic policy “Nurly Jol” (Bright Path) initiated by President Nursultan Nazarbayev. He hoped that under the guidance of two countries’ policies the trading cooperation between Kazakh and Chinese enterprises as well as the cooperation between COFCO and Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture will be further developed.

The two sides also reviewed COFCO and Kazakhstan’s cooperation in wheat business over recent years, briefed each other about their respective progress in tomato business, and discussed the feasibility of cooperating in meat business. 

Kazakh Deputy Minister of Agriculture Gulmira Isayeva and leaders from relevant government departments and enterprises of Kazakhstan, COFCO Tunhe General Manager & Tomato Business Department General Manager Li Fengchun, and COFCO Meat General Manager Xu Jianong also attended the meeting.