Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan intend to increase the volume of mutual trade and implement joint investment projects in the agricultural sector. It is planned to implement 12 investment projects worth US$193.1 million and organize the supply of 2.1 million tons of agricultural products worth US$1.2 billion by 2025.

Deliveries of potatoes, vegetables, meat and meat products are planned. This was reported by ElDala.kz with reference to the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

“If we look at the statistics of trade turnover between our countries in terms of agricultural products, we can see that deliveries from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan are being made steadily. We complement our food needs. One of the important issues is the creation of favorable conditions for increasing trade through the reduction of tariffs, including transit tariffs, the facilitation of trade and transit procedures, the application of a transparent trade policy towards each other,” said Yerbol Karashukeev, Minister of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The Ministers of Agriculture of the two countries signed the relevant Cooperation Program within the framework of a business forum in Tashkent.

The trade turnover between Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan in the agricultural sector has a positive trend and for 10 months of this year increased by 31% amounting to more than US$1.4 billion. The volume of exports from Kazakhstan amounted to more than US$1.165 billion.

Kazakh farmers sell to Uzbekistan mainly wheat, sunflower oil, flour and cattle meat, as well as pasta and potatoes.

The Uzbek side sold fruits and vegetables to Kazakhstan for US$233.7 million.