Kazakhstan and the United States intend to expand cooperation in the agro-industrial sector. These issues were discussed by Kazakhstan’s Vice Minister of Agriculture Ermek Kenzhekhanuly and Olya Lutchin, Deputy Assistant to the U.S. Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, DKNews.kz reports.
During the meeting, the parties reviewed the current state and prospects of bilateral cooperation, with particular attention to trade, investment, and the development of key sectors of the agro-industrial complex.
Ermek Kenzhekhanuly noted that the United States remains an important trade and economic partner of Kazakhstan. According to the results of the first 11 months of 2025, trade in agro-industrial products between the two countries amounted to 110.2 million US dollars, demonstrating steady positive dynamics.
The Vice Minister separately emphasized Kazakhstan’s role in the global grain market. The country is among the world’s top ten grain exporters and ranks second globally in flour exports, supplying 13–14 million tons of grain to foreign markets annually. At the same time, special emphasis is placed on the development of deep grain processing, whose export potential is estimated at 1.6 billion US dollars.
Significant attention during the meeting was also given to the development of livestock farming. Kazakhstan has more than 180 million hectares of pastureland and an established beef production system. Between 2010 and 2024, around 32.1 thousand head of breeding cattle were imported from the United States, which significantly increased the productivity of the domestic herd.
The Kazakh side expressed interest in further cooperation with American partners in the field of breeding and genetics, considering this area key to enhancing the competitiveness of the sector.
Investment cooperation was also discussed. Projects involving American companies such as PepsiCo and Mars are already being implemented in Kazakhstan. The parties expressed readiness to launch new joint initiatives, including in the field of deep grain processing.
Summing up the meeting, Ermek Kenzhekhanuly emphasized Kazakhstan’s openness to expanding trade, economic, and investment partnership with the United States and expressed confidence in continued constructive dialogue between the two countries.
