Grain producers from Kazakhstan intend to actively utilize the potential of the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange (BUCE) for trading in wheat and barley, especially with European countries. This became known during a seminar organized by the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in Kazakhstan.
"We plan to register with the Belarusian Exchange and start working. This will be very beneficial for us. We need such trading platforms. Everything here is fair, prices are transparent, and control is easy to execute. We are very interested in exports as we are producers. We want to increase sales of our products. Currently, we trade with Iran and China. We would very much like to enter the European market through Belarus. Our main products are barley and wheat. We have heard that Belarus is ready to cooperate and purchase our products. This year we plan to start the construction of an oil plant. The Belarusian side is also showing interest," said Rustam Abikenov, a Kazakh entrepreneur and founder of the company AR Trade LLP.
"Kazakhstan is ready to significantly increase exports in 105 commodity items totaling around 265 million US dollars. We are actively developing cooperation and already have 14 joint projects worth over 278 million US dollars (creating 1,800 jobs). Currently, 11 joint ventures are successfully operating in various regions of Kazakhstan. Another important area of cooperation should be the formation of a unified exchange market within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union. The developed infrastructure of exchange trading should substantially increase trade volumes and strengthen economic integration," emphasized Aizhan Bizhanova, First Vice Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The trade turnover between the Republic of Belarus and Kazakhstan continues to grow steadily. In 2024, it reached 900 million US dollars.
During the meeting, Arman Shakkaliev, Minister of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, held a meeting with Ambassador of the Republic of Belarus in Kazakhstan, Alexey Bogdanov. The parties discussed measures to develop trade cooperation, reduce trade barriers, and promote commodity exchange between the two countries.
A. Shakkaliev noted that the Belarusian Universal Commodity Exchange can become an important tool for Kazakh entrepreneurs, providing them access to one of the largest trading platforms in Eastern Europe, which will ultimately lead to an increase in mutual trade turnover.