The Kazakhstan Exporters Forum took place in Astana, organized by QazTrade with the support of the Ministry of Trade and Integration of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The event brought together over 200 participants, including international retailers, representatives of SMEs, and industry experts.
The forum’s key highlight was the announcement of the launch of QazTrade Alliance — the National Exporters Alliance. QazTrade CEO Aitmukhammed Aldazharov emphasized:
“We are launching not just a platform — we are creating a national exporters alliance. This is not a place for discussing problems, but for developing solutions. Here, everyone can influence the national export agenda. The Alliance is led by Bakhyt Manasbayeva, a person with unique international experience and a deep understanding of business interests. Under her leadership, QazTrade Alliance will become a think tank and a negotiation hub where export is driven not by mandate, but by the initiative of its participants.”
One of the forum’s innovative features was the format of direct B2G (business-to-government) meetings. Unlike traditional round tables, business representatives had the opportunity to personally present their requests to government agencies and receive immediate responses. This gave the forum a practical orientation and helped shift from discussion to action.
The forum also included expert sessions on digitalization, logistics, certification, and marketing. Participants held B2B negotiations with international retailers such as LULU (UAE), Alibaba, and TaoBao (China).
Special focus was placed on a strategic rethinking of Kazakhstan’s export policy. QazTrade CEO Aldazharov stressed:
“Export must begin with an idea tailored to a specific foreign market. We are moving away from a subsidy-based model to a sales funnel, where every stage — from marketing to certification — contributes to business capitalization. We are placing special emphasis on service exports, such as construction, healthcare, education, and digital solutions. A dedicated support package is being offered: promotion, personalized assistance, order sourcing, certification, standardization, and marketing. This direction could become a key growth point for exports, with the highest multiplier effect for GDP and employment.”
The forum also summarized macroeconomic results of Kazakhstan’s export performance.
Deputy Minister of Trade and Integration Asset Nusupov noted significant progress:
“Kazakhstan’s exports in 2024 exceeded USD 80 billion, including nearly USD 29 billion from manufacturing and USD 11.8 billion from services. This is the result of systematic work and the efforts of our entrepreneurs. The main driver remains SMEs — over 27,000 projects were financed last year. Our task is to build a sustainable and competitive environment where export means jobs, taxes, and modernization of the economy.”
Eight importer companies from Jiangsu Soho Corporation expressed interest in purchasing a wide range of goods from Kazakhstan — around 50 product categories. Among them: honey (up to 20,000 tons per month), alcoholic beverages (up to 5,000 bottles), feed meal (60,000 tons per year), sunflower oil (40,000 tons per year). The companies also showed interest in metallurgical products. This confirms the strong demand from Jiangsu Province for Kazakhstani agricultural and metal goods.