World Monitor Magazine #1 WM march 2018 (1) | Page 22

DESTINATION europe
Netherlands and Kazakhstan:
long-term partnership and plans for 2018
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is one of the most long-term partners for Kazakhstan in
investment, commerce and economy. The Ambassador of the Netherlands in RK shared about the
current agenda and planned projects for 2018 and in the upcoming years.
Agriculture
The year 2017 marked the 25th anniversary
of diplomatic relations between the
Netherlands and Kazakhstan. Over these past
years our countries have forged an intensive
diplomatic relationship and established solid
economic ties in a number of fields. Although
the focus continues to be on the oil & gas
sector, in the past few years in particular the
agricultural sector has done very well.
Dirk Jan Kop,
Ambassador
of the Kingdom
of the Netherlands
to Kazakhstan
Dutch economic organizations
active in Kazakhstan: There
is a Joint Business Council
between the Netherlands and
Kazakhstan. It was set up in
November 2014 during the
visit of Minister of Economic
Affairs of the Netherlands
to Kazakhstan. It’s a high
level body which is created
to serve as a platform for
promotion bilateral business
relations. The signatories are
VNO-NCW (Dutch Employers’
Association, similar to
National Chamber of
Entrepreneurs) and Chamber
of International Commerce
(daughter company of
National Chamber of
Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan).
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world monitor
The Netherlands is not only Kazakhstan’s
largest foreign investor, but also the
second largest exporter of agricultural and
food products in the world. In 2017, the
Dutch agrifood exports amounted to €91.7
billion. Moreover, the Netherlands also
exports agriculture-related goods such as
agricultural machinery, fertilizers and plant
protection products that accounted for €9.1
billion in 2017. Emerging market countries
like Kazakhstan are becoming increasingly
important for the Netherlands and more and
more attractive for Dutch companies that
are eager to do business with Kazakhstan.
When speaking of the Kazakh agricultural
sector, we believe that it has considerable
potential to expand and make a greater
contribution to overall GDP growth, given the
Kazakh government’s intensified efforts to
promote further development of the sector by
providing favourable loans to local farmers and
agribusinesses and continuously introducing
and promoting best agricultural practices.
We have already witnessed the number of
agricultural projects initiated and launched
by Kazakh agricultural companies and
entrepreneurs who have considerably
increased across various sub-sectors and
geographical regions in the last few years.
Dutch agribusinesses have also contributed
to this success thanks to their vast and
advanced knowledge and experience.
For instance, as a result of the visit of
Greenport
Holland
International 1
to
Kazakhstan in March 2014, Almaty and the
South Kazakhstan Regions were identified
as two regions suitable for greenhouse
horticulture. Therefore, there is a growing
trend in the development of commercial
(glasshouse) horticultural production in these
regions. There are several fruit and vegetables
growers in different regions of Kazakhstan
(e.g. Almaty Region, South Kazakhstan
Region, Aktobe Region, Karaganda Region,
etc.), who export their fresh products to
Siberia and other neighboring regions of
Russia. Some of these local producers also
have ambitions to export their products to
other fast growing markets, such as China.
Presently, Dutch companies supply their
equipment, machinery or know-how to Kazakh
agribusinesses and investors in such fields
as dairy, poultry, cool storages, horticultural
crops production (both in protected and open
ground). If you travel around Kazakhstan,
you can either see a Dutch glasshouse built
with the latest technology that helps to
achieve higher productivity, has minimum
energy and water use and offers optimum
returns on investment or a Dutch dairy
or poultry farm that ensures high quality
of milk (dairy) or poultry production and