Iran eyes boost in
agricultural trade with Kazakhstan

Iran and Kazakhstan have
set a target for at least $1 billion in their mutual trade in the sector of
agriculture and food industries, a senior official with the Ministry of
Agriculture said.

“The two countries have predicted that their trade
turnover in the field of agriculture can reach $1 billion,” Alireza Peyman-Pak,
who has travelled to Kazakhstan at the head of a trade delegation, said in a
meeting with Kazakh officials.

In separate meetings with
Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister’s deputy, Agriculture Minister, Trade Minister and
Almaty Governor, he stressed the need for the expansion of all-out ties in the
sectors of agriculture, livestock, and exports of fruits, dairy produce, and
fishery products. 

Ways to facilitate joint
agricultural cooperation and create new trade and investment opportunities were
discussed in the meetings.

During a meeting with
Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov in Tehran back in April 2023,
President Ebrahim Raisi expressed his appreciation for the progress achieved in
bilateral ties with Kazakhstan and called for further expansion, particularly
in economic and commercial areas.

He urged efforts towards
its further enhancement, including investment in transit infrastructures from
Central Asia to the Persian Gulf, increased cooperation in agriculture, and
innovative mechanisms in the monetary and banking areas.

Smailov expressed his
country's interest in the development and deepening of its ties with the
Islamic Republic, acknowledging likewise that the current level of the ties did
not properly befit the capacities at hand.