Kazakhstan and the Netherlands sign agreement in The Hague to expand agricultural cooperation

The fourth session of the Kazakh-Dutch agricultural working group took place in The Hague, Kazakhstan Today reports, citing Kazakhstan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Kazakh delegation was led by Deputy Minister of Agriculture Talasbek Kanafin, and the Dutch side by Martijn Weitens, head of the international bilateral relations department at the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature. At the end of the session, the two sides signed a joint statement on further cooperation in agriculture.

The agenda covered seed production, agricultural science, veterinary medicine, aquaculture and phytosanitary safety. The Netherlands' Wageningen University and Kazakhstan's Saken Seifullin Agrotechnical Research University also established a working relationship. The Kazakh delegation toured Dutch dairy and cheese-making plants and poultry farms to learn about their production technology.

The working group is not a one-off meeting but a recurring format: according to Kazakhstan's Ministry of Agriculture, cited by 24.kz, bilateral agricultural trade reached $108.7 million in the first eight months of 2026, grew 33% in 2025, and Kazakh agricultural exports to the Netherlands increased 2.5-fold. Kazakhstan's state register already lists 411 varieties and hybrids of Dutch breeding, with 53 more under testing. The two sides are also discussing a Dutch business mission on aquaculture planned for 2027.

Why this matters for Chamber members. Unlike one-off deals, this working group is a standing channel through which Kazakh farmers can systematically access Dutch seed, livestock and processing technology, and Dutch agribusiness can access the Kazakh market and its universities. For Chamber members working in agriculture, it's a ready-made platform for new contacts rather than one that needs to be built from scratch.

Photo: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan.