The State of Fishery and Aquaculture Industry Briefings continue with Kazakhstan
Nur-Sultan – Virtual webinar series of state of fishery and aquaculture industry briefings continued with Kazakhstan on 18 January 2021 with the participation of diverse stakeholders including the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey, and representatives from FAO and the relevant circles of private sector from Turkey and Kazakhstan.
According to FAO statistics, in 2016, approximately 11.000 people (22% women) employed in fisheries and aquaculture sector in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan produced 52.578 tonnes of fish in 2019, including 45.645 tonnes from capture fisheries and 6.933 tonnes from aquaculture. In 2019, Kazakhstan exported 30.000 tonnes (USD 60 million) of fish and fishery products to 36 countries and imported 43.500 tonnes of fish and fishery products.
In 2016, the per capita consumption of fish was estimated at around 5 kg in the country.
The webinar aims to develop Kazakhstan’s already existing potential in fisheries and aquaculture sector.
The webinar presented myriad opportunities for the stakeholder representatives and participants from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to get updated information from experts on Kazak fishery and aquaculture industry, discuss prospects and challenges in the sector and establish and widen their networks.
Organized under the FAO project “Capacity Development for Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture Management in Central Asia, Azerbaijan and Turkey (FISHCap)”, the webinar informed the participants about the importance of inter-industry cooperation with a goal to improve business environment for sustainable aquaculture and fisheries development. The event also enabled participants to share their ideas and challenges specific to the fisheries and aquaculture industry, including those resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The webinar started with an opening speech by Haydar Fersoy, senior fishery and aquaculture officer from FAO, who introduced the main aims and objectives of the monthly webinar series. Fersoy stated that these webinar series aim to contribute to regional multi-stakeholder partnerships and provide a platform to share relevant industry and business information and experience in support of strengthening inter-industry cooperation and stakeholder involvement.
What follows Fersoy’s brief were the opening remarks in which Özerdem Maltaş, Head of Aquaculture Department of General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey and Miras Gabbasov who addressed the participants on behalf of the Ministry of Ecology, Geology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan shared their ideas on the webinar. Maltaş underlined that thanks to such projects, Turkey is always happy to share its knowledge and experience with the countries in the region. Emphasizing Kazakhstan’s potential and rich natural resources, Gabbasov pointed out that Kazakhstan is planning to enact a law on aquaculture with a goal to develop the sector.
After the opening remarks, the event continued with State of the Industry session which covered range of topics such as fish production systems and status of women and youth in the industry. In the second session, participants discussed fisheries and aquaculture industry performance for Kazakhstan. The event ended with a panel discussion.
Following the webinar, Kazakhstan’s National Aquaculture Sector Overview is going to be prepared for the first time as part of FAO’s respective fact sheet collection.
The webinar ended with a questions & answers session in which representatives from the private sector directed their questions to the experts.
About the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programmes
The objectives of the FAO-Turkey Partnership Programmes are to provide support to ensure food security, rural poverty reduction and sustainable forest management, combat desertification and preserve ecosystems in Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan and other countries of mutual interest.
Established in 2007, the first phase of the FAO Turkey Partnership Programme on Food and Agriculture (FTPP) has benefited from trust fund contributions totaling USD 10 million, financed by the Government of Turkey and represented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. During the first phase of the programme, 28 projects were implemented in 16 countries between 2009-2015.
In 2014, Turkey and FAO commenced the second phase of the FTPP along with the first phase of the FAO-Turkey Forestry Partnership Programme (FTFP) with an additional fund of USD 20 million, bringing Turkey’s total contribution to USD 30 million.
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KIVANÇ ÖZCAN
Communication Specialist
FAO Turkey
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