Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov met with Deputy Director General and FAO Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia Viorel Gutsu to discuss advancing agricultural and water resource cooperation. The talks focused on implementing agreements between President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and FAO Director-General Qiu Dongyu, with particular attention to the Kazakhstan-FAO Partnership Programme. FAO’s project portfolio in Kazakhstan currently includes 55 initiatives.
Bektenov highlighted Kazakhstan’s commitment to enhancing agricultural production, processing, and exports.
“Kazakhstan is a leader in grain and oilseed production in Central Asia. We aim to increase the share of processed agricultural products to 70% and plan to implement over 600 agribusiness investment projects worth $4.8bn in the next three years,” he stated.
He also noted the significance of Kazakhstan ranking 32nd out of 113 in the Global Food Security Index, with its agricultural exports reaching 80 countries.
Gutsu acknowledged Kazakhstan’s potential in the agro-industrial sector and emphasized the importance of expanding cooperation. He highlighted the FAO-Kazakhstan Partnership Programme (FKPP), which focuses on food security, agribusiness digitalization, sustainable resource management, and export growth.
Water resource management was another key topic of discussion. Kazakhstan is undertaking extensive modernization efforts, including the construction of 20 new reservoirs, reconstruction of at least 15 existing ones, and digitalization of 3,500 km of irrigation canals. Both sides stressed the need for international collaboration to address environmental challenges in the Caspian Sea.
The meeting concluded with both parties reaffirming their commitment to strengthening cooperation for sustainable development in agriculture and water resource management.
