Exploring Agricultural Growth Potential in Central Asian Countries (International Perspective)

Central Asia is an important dryland agricultural production belt in the world. In recent years, Central Asian countries have fully utilized their natural resource endowments and geographical advantages, and have successively introduced policy measures to increase agricultural support, tap into the potential for agricultural production increase, and promote the export of agricultural products. Central Asian countries and China continue to promote agricultural cooperation and jointly promote green and sustainable development.

Introduce multiple agricultural support plans

Kazakhstan's Minister of Agriculture, Saparov, recently stated that the government is focusing on promoting the transformation of agricultural product production and export trade, prioritizing the production and export of high-value agricultural products, and striving to double the export value of agricultural products to 5.4 billion US dollars within the next five years. The Harbin government is fully implementing the "2021-2025 National Project for the Development of Agricultural and Industrial Complex", implementing large-scale investment projects, and building a comprehensive agricultural product system for grain, oil, fruits, vegetables, sugar, meat, and milk. It is expected to attract more than 350000 households and family farms to participate in the production of high value-added agricultural products.

The Uzbekistan government has proposed to take more support measures this year to increase the production of economic crops such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans, promote the development of digital agriculture, and strive to increase the export value of agricultural products to 3.5 billion US dollars. The Ukrainian government has formulated and implemented 52 national plans to attract more agricultural investment, accelerate the pace of agricultural mechanization, promote the improvement of the agricultural ecological landscape and degraded pasture conditions in the Aral Sea region, establish protective forest belts, promote water-saving technologies, and strive to mitigate the impact of climate change on agriculture.

The Tajikistan government has recently formulated the "Concept for Establishing and Developing Agricultural Clusters by 2040" and the "Plan for Creating Favorable Conditions for Promoting Practical Experience in Agricultural Product Production", aiming to promote the modernization of agriculture, increase agricultural production, and improve the quality of agricultural products.

This year, Turkmenistan proposed to expand funding and technological investment, implement the "precision agriculture" strategy, actively introduce digital agricultural technology in the future, systematically promote agricultural industrialization management, and increase crop yields by purchasing modern agricultural machinery, improving land and water resource utilization, and expanding agricultural information and consulting services.

Kyrgyzstan is accelerating the implementation of the "Kyrgyzstan Agricultural Development Concept for 2021-2025" and plans to hold a national agricultural exhibition in November this year, aiming to build a professional international trade platform for agricultural products. It is expected to attract more than 200 enterprises from more than 10 countries and regions to participate, fully promoting international cooperation in agricultural production and export.

Comprehensive measures to promote agricultural yield increase

Kazakhstan has abundant agricultural resources and potential for increased production, and currently ranks among the top in the world in terms of grain exports. According to official data from Kazakhstan, the agricultural output value continued to steadily increase in the first half of this year, with a growth rate of 3.4% compared to the same period last year. It is expected to grow by 11.6% for the whole year of 2024. The Ha government regards tapping into the potential of agricultural product production and export as an important task, and regards increasing the added value and yield of agricultural products as an important direction for agricultural development, continuously increasing investment in agricultural funds and technology. The Ha government has also implemented import substitution projects, promoting the development of the domestic food industry by constructing dairy farms, poultry farms, greenhouses, and agricultural product deep processing facilities.

In 2023, Uzbekistan will be the fifth largest cotton producing country and the second largest cotton exporting country in the world. Uzbekistan has 4.27 million hectares of arable land and abundant water resources, providing favorable natural conditions for agricultural development. In recent years, the Ukrainian government has continuously expanded investment in the agricultural sector, established a soil improvement fund, promoted the renovation and construction of irrigation and drainage systems, and continuously strengthened the storage and deep processing capabilities of agricultural products. The Ukrainian government has specially launched an unsecured loan program for purchasing seeds, fertilizers, etc., which helps to improve agricultural productivity by subsidizing the purchase of domestic agricultural tools and exempting import equipment tariffs. The Ukrainian government is collaborating with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to implement the "Smart Farm" project, aimed at improving agricultural production efficiency and stability, improving the lives of rural populations, and planning to increase agricultural output to $35 billion by 2026 by attracting $1 billion in foreign investment annually, bringing the income per hectare of irrigated land to $5000. Ukraine is actively building modern fruit and vegetable export infrastructure in places such as Fergana, Samarkand, and Tashkent International Airport.

Tajikistan is vigorously promoting national level agricultural investment projects, accelerating the increase in agricultural production by selecting high-quality seeds, strengthening agricultural support projects, and increasing subsidies for farmers. In recent years, Ta has actively promoted the cultivation of fruits and vegetables in greenhouses, improving the stability of agricultural markets and product prices in autumn and winter seasons. At present, about 950 greenhouses have been built in Tajikistan, with a total area of 166 hectares. To effectively solve the problems of limited arable land, short growing season, and high altitude, the agricultural department of Tajikistan is studying the use of geothermal resources for greenhouse planting, in order to extend the vegetable production season and increase crop yields. At the same time, it encourages farmers to make reasonable and effective use of idle land near their courtyards and continuously develop new arable land. The Ta government has also introduced multiple tariff and tax incentives for the import of agricultural technology, equipment, and materials, increased support for poultry and feed production enterprises, and encouraged domestic entrepreneurs and foreign investment in agricultural development to ensure domestic food security and tap export potential.

In recent years, Turkmenistan has improved agricultural production efficiency and output, and reduced imports of agricultural products by launching several agricultural development plans. In order to further improve the efficiency of agricultural land use, the local government has continuously introduced reform measures, made efforts to attract private enterprises to participate in agricultural production, and allocated land to support private enterprise agricultural production. The reform has achieved significant results.

Kyrgyzstan has taken a series of measures to accelerate the process of agricultural modernization. The current agricultural development plan and other related policies focus on assisting small and medium-sized farmers to improve agricultural production efficiency and solve potential problems in the development of agricultural industrial complexes.

Actively carry out agricultural cooperation with China

Currently, the five Central Asian countries are actively promoting the export trade of agricultural products to China and cultivating new highlights of economic and trade cooperation. Kazakhstan's camel milk, Uzbekistan's cherries, Tajikistan's dried fruits, Kyrgyzstan's honey, Turkmenistan's cotton, and more are increasingly entering the Chinese market and receiving widespread praise from consumers. The scale of agricultural trade between Central Asian countries and China has been increasing year by year, showing a vigorous development trend.

Taking Kazakhstan as an example, the trade volume of agricultural products between China and Kazakhstan will reach 1.36 billion US dollars in 2023, a year-on-year increase of 47%. 27 agricultural products from Harbin have obtained market access in China. In the first half of this year, the trade volume of agricultural products between China and Kazakhstan reached 648.1 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 12%. China has become the largest export market for agricultural products in Kazakhstan. According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture of Kyrgyzstan, the trade volume of agricultural products between Kyrgyzstan and China has increased from 47.4 million US dollars in 2022 to 55.4 million US dollars from January to August 2023.

At present, Chinese customs has opened 8 fast customs clearance "green channels" for agricultural and sideline products in Central Asian countries, covering highway ports and assisting Central Asian countries in exporting agricultural products to China.

Central Asian countries and China continue to deepen agricultural technology cooperation. Under the framework of the joint construction of the "the Belt and Road" and the SCO, Chinese enterprises and universities have cooperated with Central Asian countries to establish agricultural demonstration bases, which has improved the quality and output of local agricultural products. Northwest A&F University has jointly established 8 overseas agricultural science and technology demonstration parks in five Central Asian countries, including Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, to carry out technical cooperation in crop breeding, water-saving irrigation, soil improvement, and significantly improve local agricultural production efficiency. China also enhances agricultural skills and cultivates agricultural talents for regional countries through on-site teaching, remote guidance, and exchange training.

In Uzbekistan, based on the characteristics of sufficient sunlight in the park, we have developed and promoted solar powered sprinkler irrigation machines, intelligent water fertilizer integrated irrigation equipment, etc., which have changed the previous cultivation method of flood irrigation and promoted a 50% increase in local cotton production, 50% water conservation, and a 40% reduction in investment, "said Zhu Delan, a professor at Northwest A&F University.

Saparov stated that China has a broad market demand for agricultural products from Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, and the prospects for export trade of agricultural products from Central Asian countries to China are promising. There is great potential for both sides to further explore agricultural cooperation.

(Astana, October 27th)