From February 27 to March 5, 2022, representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture of Kazakhstan visited the Netherlands. The Kazakh delegation was headed by Almabek Mars, Chairman of the State Inspection Committee in the agro-industrial complex, Delovoy Kazakhstan reports.
The Kazakh delegation visited NAK (Netherlands General Inspection Service for Agricultural Seeds and Seed Potatoes) and Naktuinbouw (the Netherlands Inspection Service for Horticulture). During the visit, the Dutch side presented the activities of the services, their interaction with private business and government agencies, as well as the requirements for agricultural products exported from the Netherlands.
In addition, the delegation visited private companies in the field of seed potato production and trade, where the Dutch business shared its experience in the field of seed potato cultivation and supply to foreign markets.
A visit to the National Reference Center of the Netherlands was also organized. The parties exchanged information on test protocols used and the procedures for executing these protocols in the laboratory environment. As a result of the meeting, contact was established at the technical level between the laboratories of Kazakhstan and the Netherlands.
In addition, the departments of the two countries discussed the situation related to the detection of Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (the causal agent of zebra chips) in batches of seed potatoes.
As a result of the negotiations, the parties signed the Agreed Protocol of consultations. It was agreed, that in case of any future issue with regard to a finding of quarantine objects in plant products subject to phytosanitary control, upon the initial test results parties will:
- inform the competent authority without delay;
- share information on the test protocols applied (where relevant specifics on the protocol, primers used, follow up tests to be applied);
- share information on the details of the shipment concerned;
share information on the measures to be imposed on the shipment concerned and any other information necessary to comprehend the situation in its entirety.
