Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — An Uzbek-Kazakh business forum in Tashkent discussed an initiative that could give Uzbek entrepreneurs access to Kazakh pastureland for raising cattle for export. A pilot project has been proposed to designate an area of at least 50,000 hectares.
The essence of the proposal
Davron Vakhabov, head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Uzbekistan, proposed allowing Uzbek entrepreneurs to invest independently in purchasing and raising cattle on Kazakh territory — from buying young stock to fattening — with the subsequent right to export the raised cattle to Uzbekistan once they reach a live weight of over 400 kg.
As an example, he referred to an earlier arrangement between Uzbekistan and Belarus, under which an investor who independently builds the feed base and raises cattle from scratch is permitted to export both meat and live cattle weighing from 400 kg.
"If an entrepreneur from Uzbekistan buys a calf from scratch himself, handles both the dairy and meat side there, and then exports to Uzbekistan the animal he raised himself — why shouldn't we raise this question?" Vakhabov said.
He proposed designating a pilot region of at least 50,000 hectares, citing the difference in land availability: in Uzbekistan up to 0.5 hectares is allocated per head of livestock, compared with 2–7 hectares per head in Kazakhstan.
The Kazakh side's position
Dauren Salykov, chairman of the Union of Livestock Breeders of Kazakhstan, commenting on the topic of meat exports, noted that the current restrictions stem from the need to secure the domestic market: for the second half of the year, Kazakhstan has set an export quota of 25,000 tonnes of meat.
According to Salykov, rather than tying supplies to the existing quota, the union is proposing an alternative model of cooperation with Uzbekistan — based on a forward-purchase mechanism for cattle and small livestock. The scheme works as follows: the Uzbek side, under long-term contracts, provides advance financing for future meat deliveries; with these funds, Kazakh feedlots purchase young stock from local farmers, fatten it in Kazakhstan, where slaughter and processing also take place, and the finished meat product is then supplied to Uzbekistan.
"We have feedlots across Kazakhstan with a combined capacity of around 370,000 head, and we have meat-processing plants and livestock. We propose entering into a forward-purchase agreement with Kazakhstan: we would buy young cattle, put them on feed, and supply the finished meat product to Uzbekistan. And we'd secure this with a protocol between our countries so that investors aren't afraid the quota will run out," said Dauren Salykov.
Commenting separately on Davron Vakhabov's proposal, raised at the forum, that Uzbek investors raise cattle independently in Kazakhstan, Kanat Sharlapayev, chairman of the presidium of Kazakhstan's National Chamber of Entrepreneurs "Atameken," proposed differentiating the approach by category of producer.
"Someone came, invested money, built something, bought the stock themselves, fattened it themselves — let them export it themselves. We just need to agree with the Ministry of Agriculture so that such operators have centralized permitting documentation and oversight," said Kanat Sharlapayev, adding that this would also make it possible to support Kazakh farmers who only raise cattle without subsequent fattening — a separate quota regime could be established for them.
Kanat Sharlapayev backed the idea, pointing to the benefit for the Kazakh side from an investor's arrival.
"If an entrepreneur comes in and builds a feedlot, we know why he built it — to take the product out. He'll buy equipment, farm machinery, hire labor. Most importantly, a large share of the value added will stay in the country and be split between the investor and the Republic of Kazakhstan. We don't need anything more than that," he said.
The parties agreed to work through the matter further; specific parameters of the pilot project — the location of the land plot, terms for admitting investors, and permitting procedures, as well as the format of the forward-purchase scheme proposed by the Union of Livestock Breeders of Kazakhstan — were not determined at the forum.
Context: meat trade between the two countries
In 2025, Kazakhstan exported 32,000 tonnes of beef and 34,000 tonnes of lamb/mutton to Uzbekistan — 1.7 times more than a year earlier, worth about $300 million. Uzbekistan accounts for more than 90% of Kazakhstan's meat exports.
Kazakhstan has 188 million hectares of pastureland and, according to the industry union's estimates, could increase its cattle herd from the current 9 million to 25 million head. The country also has a state concessional-financing program (5% annually over 10 years, with a two-year grace period) for importing 50,000 head of pedigree breeding stock.
Correction. The original version of this article's "The Kazakh side's position" section described the Kazakh side's reaction to Davron Vakhabov's initiative on Uzbek investors raising cattle independently, but did not reflect a separate proposal made at the forum by Dauren Salykov, chairman of the Union of Livestock Breeders of Kazakhstan, on a forward-purchase mechanism for cattle and small livestock. The article has been updated with a quote from Dauren Salykov and a description of the scheme he proposed; it has also been clarified that the remarks on differentiating the approach by producer category belong to Kanat Sharlapayev, chairman of the presidium of "Atameken," who was commenting on Vakhabov's proposal, and not to Dauren Salykov.
