At the 8th China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai, Kazakhstan’s single export development operator QazTrade, under the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, presented the potential of Kazakhstani cooperatives. This year, the country was represented on all four exhibition platforms: the national pavilion, the stand of the All-China Federation of Supply and Marketing Cooperatives (China Co-Op), the Jiangsu SOHO platform, and for the first time, a separate pavilion of the city of Almaty. This comprehensive approach helped attract a record number of Kazakhstani producers.
Thanks to the joint work of QazTrade and the National Association of Cooperatives of Kazakhstan (NACOFEC) with China’s largest cooperative network — China Co-op — the first shipments of honey, kumis, shubat and confectionery products will soon appear on the shelves of Chinese stores. The network unites more than 340,000 stores with an annual turnover exceeding 7 trillion yuan.
At the stand of Kazakhstani cooperatives in Shanghai, more than 30 companies and cooperatives were represented, including QazExport Global, GEOM LLP, OIL ECO LLP, Prombaza-7, SHERSTNEV GROUP, IceMaster, Dinastiya Agro, Kokshetau Mineral Water JSC, MADI, Nauryz-5, Run Planet Organic, JAIN LLP, Danaker LLP, Mareven Food Tien Shan, Telli Kazakhstan LLP, NefisGroup Ltd., Industry of Semirechye, KAZAGRO-PRO LLP, KOMEK ASIA GROUP, Light Way Solution LLP, LWS Agro LLP, LWS TERMINAL LLP, and Baraka №1. Their participation demonstrates the real potential of Kazakhstan’s cooperative sector on the international stage.
As President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted in his 2025 Address: “Rural cooperation opens great prospects for the development of the agricultural sector. A pilot project has been implemented, and its results showed that crop yields in the agricultural cooperatives participating in it doubled, while livestock numbers increased by almost a quarter. This successful experience should be gradually scaled up nationwide, taking into account regional specifics.”
“The entry of Kazakhstani cooperatives into the Chinese market will allow domestic companies not only to gain access to China’s market, but also to secure a long-term presence there. Joint marketing research has already been conducted, the first trial shipments have been organized, and priority product categories have been identified — including flour, vegetable oils, meat, honey, dairy drinks and confectionery,” said QazTrade CEO Aitmukhamed Aldazharov.
According to him, a parallel acceleration and training program for Chinese companies is being launched to expand their presence in Kazakhstan and Central Asia, creating a mutually beneficial platform for the sustainable development of bilateral trade.