April 9, 2012

Canada's Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Kazakhstan Minister of Agriculture Asylzhan Mamytbekov signed on April 6 a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on new opportunities for agricultural cooperation in Central Asia.

"Our government's top priority remains the economy, and by enabling more cooperation with countries such as Kazakhstan, we are helping create more opportunities for our agriculture industry and more prosperity for all Canadians," said Ritz. "Today's agreement demonstrates a strong and growing relationship between Canada and Kazakhstan for the benefit of producers and consumers in both countries."

The MOU signed today will increase co-operation in the areas of animal and plant production and development, and it will also increase knowledge sharing and exchanges of new technologies. There are many opportunities for further co-operation and trade between the two countries, particularly in the livestock and meat sector, and this MOU can help generate new business opportunities in both countries. A joint Canada-Kazakhstan working group will be established and will meet annually to ensure that the goals of this MOU are met.

For 20 years, Canada and Kazakhstan have enjoyed positive diplomatic ties and strong, two-way trade in agriculture. In 2011, Canadian agriculture and food exports to Kazakhstan totalled about US$14 million, which included exports of Canada's top-quality breeding cattle. Canada is a trading partner of choice for Kazakhstan, particularly in the livestock and agricultural machinery sectors, Marketwire wrote.