Central Asian countries sign regional food security plan through 2030

ASTANA. Nov 11 (Interfax) - The agriculture ministries of Central Asian countries have signed a regional Food Security Plan through 2030 during a meeting in Tashkent, the press service of Kazakhstan's Agriculture Ministry said.

"A key outcome of the meeting was the signing of a Joint Declaration and the Central Asian Food Security Plan through 2030, developed on the initiative of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The document is aimed at strengthening coordination of agricultural policies and advancing regional integration," the ministry said.

Deputy Agriculture Minister Yerbol Taszhurekov, who represented Kazakhstan at the meeting, said the country was actively diversifying its crop structure: oilseed planting has been expanded by 1 million hectares, and legume crops by 300,000 hectares. Irrigated farming is also developing - over the past two years, the area of land using water-saving technologies has nearly doubled to 590,000 hectares. By 2030, this figure is expected to reach 1.3 million hectares.

Trade in agricultural products between Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries totaled $2.3 billion from January to September 2025, up 24.4% year-on-year. Kazakhstan's main exports include wheat, flour, vegetable oil, beef, and sugar, while imports primarily consist of vegetables and fruit.

The meeting also addressed the development of transport, energy, and innovation infrastructure, as well as the establishment of cross-border logistics hubs. Kazakhstan presented successful examples such as the Central Asia International Industrial Cooperation Center on the border with Uzbekistan and the Alatau industrial and logistics complex on the border with Kyrgyzstan.

Participants also discussed Tokayev's initiative to establish a Regional Center for Sustainable Farming, which will serve as a platform for sharing experiences and implementing best global practices.