Kazakh-Dutch round table was held in Westland
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, KAZAKH INVEST, from the Dutch side World Horti Center and Dutch Greenhouse Delta, jointly organized the Kazakh-Dutch round table with the participation of representatives of state bodies and the business community of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the International Center for Greenhouse Horticulture "World Horti Center” in Naaldwijk.
The Round Table was formed to discuss issues and ideas pertaining to collaborative projects in education and training in agriculture and greenhouse industry, the latest innovation in these fields and how it can be implemented on the ground. It was launched with the speech of Frederik Vossenaar. He noted how much progress has been made in cooperation between Kazakh and Dutch authorities in promoting joint projects. Greenhouses are one of the most competitive sectors in the Netherlands and now they can exchange their knowledge with Kazakh firms.
Deputy Minister of agriculture of Kazakhstan, Abilkhair Tamabek, reiterated the importance of cooperation. He announced that in the meeting with Jan Kees Goet, Secretary General Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality, they agreed to establish the interministerial work group in agriculture between the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality and the Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture. Mr Tamabek believes that this is an important step in furthering our relations and it will lead to economic growth for both partners.
The last opening speech was made by the Ambassador of Kazakhstan in the Netherlands, Askar Zhumagaliyev, who highlighted that the round table has been organized to strengthen our collaboration and to find new opportunities. Members of the mission had the opportunity to get acquainted with the best practices of Dutch business and learn more about agriculture - highly efficient and innovative production, the main factors contributing to the promotion of the Netherlands to a leading position in the agro-industrial complex. This expertise will combine with the knowledge of the Kazakh experts to create ventures with top-of-the line greenhouses in Kazakhstan.
The speeches were followed by a series of presentations from the representatives of businesses. Puck van Holsteijn, Director of the World Horti Center, specified the role of WHC as the hub where different partners can meet and face the challenges of the future together. The concept of the Golden Triangle was introduced by Ms. Mirjam Boekestijn, CEO Dutch Greenhouse Delta. It is through the collaboration of public and private actors together with educational institutions that it was possible to achieve the success of the greenhouse industry.
Mr. Kees Koeleman, the representative of EBRD, has told the guests about many new ventures across Central Asia and how they plan to expand to be able to feed the region with local crops. Ms. Assel Taurbayeva, Deputy CEO of Kazakh Greenhouse union, shared their plans of unifying greenhouses in Kazakhstan, so they can collaborate and help each other, growing the industry to new heights.
“Kazakhstan has received 28B USD in FDI in the last year, and 8B of it came from the Netherlands” was mentioned by Mr. Erlan Zeineshev, Deputy Chairman of Investment committee of MFA of Kazakhstan. More investments are coming to the manufacture and agriculture sectors of the economy to seize Kazakhstan’s enormous economic potential. Mr Zeineshev also introduced the opportunity of creating new logistic supply chains that could lay via Trans-Caspian International Transport Route. Additional presentations were made by representatives of Food Ventures, UPOV and Royal GD, where they stated their optimistic predictions for the developing of crop and cattle production in Kazakhstan.
Additionally, the attendees had the chance to watch several short documentaries on the topics pertaining to the discussions. They learned about building supply and value chains, the latest in greenhouse research and education, indoor farming and energy saving, lighting technologies. Company Vertify has shown their innovation in crop protection from diseases and pests. The short presentation from Viscon displayed their technologies in automatized growing. Ridder, a leading supplier of greenhouse technologies, has presented their water saving innovations and use of robotics for autonomous growing of crops.
The day finished with a networking session during a tour across Westland municipality, where the delegation could see greenhouses scattered around the region. The participants of the round table noted the importance and informativeness of the organized visit. It allowed them to establish valuable connections that will be useful in the near future.