Kazakhstan in talks over JV to create an agricultural export route via Iranian and Emirati ports

Kazakhstan eyes JV to export agricultural products via transit hubs in Iran and the UAE: Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade Serik Zhumangarin met with Simatech Shipping and Forwarding CEO Davud Tafti last week to discuss steps towards establishing the “shortest direct route” connecting the country’s agricultural exports to markets in the Middle East, Pakistan, India and East Africa, according to a ministry statement. The Kazakh statement referred to Simatech as an AD Ports Group subsidiary, though Enterprise Logistics was unable to confirm the accuracy of the statement or receive a response from AD Ports representatives ahead of dispatch time.

The proposed route: Current plans envision the Kazakh port of Kuryk as a starting point for the new route, followed by an oversea and overland journey that will see cargoes delivered to transit hubs at Iran’s Amirabad and Bandar Abbas ports, the ministry statement explained. The three-day journey will position the cargoes within easy access of the Iranian ports of Bandar Khomeini and Chabahar, and the UAE ports of Khalifa and Fujairah, from which they can be forwarded to markets in the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, East Asia, East Africa, and potentially Europe.

The Kuryk-Khalifa Port axis is the principal component of the proposed route, according to Kazakhstan’s trade ministry statement. To that end, the plan will see investments in infrastructure and equipment to establish the link, the statement said. Simatech also owns two dry ports that can serve as hubs for the consolidation and repackaging of Kazakh agricultural exports.

The proposed initiative ties into bilateral transport agreements between Kazakhstan and Iran, the statement adds. Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov’s visit to Iran in April saw both states ink a number of economic agreements, which included a framework to develop links between the ports of Kuryk and Amirabad. Work is currently underway on grain terminal infrastructure to leverage the planned links.

About Simatech: The Dubai-based feeder operator owns sixteen vessels in sixteen different destinations within the Gulf, the Indian subcontinent, Far East and East Africa, according to its LinkedIn. The company also has a number of commercial ports and terminals in Arab countries, according to the Kazakh ministry statement.