NUR-SULTAN, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- Kazakhstan has exported agricultural products worth 1.3 billion U.S. dollars to Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states since the outbreak of COVID-19 epidemic in March, the press service of the Ministry of Agriculture announced on Thursday.

Addressing an SCO ministerial meeting on agricultural issues via a video-conference, Kazakh Agriculture Minister Saparkhan Omarov urged the SCO member states to remove trade barriers on agricultural products and play a bigger role of the SCO in establishing international dialogue and cooperation in the agricultural field.

Omarov noted that Kazakhstan has managed to reduce the impact of COVID-19 on the agriculture area. In the first nine months of 2020, Kazakhstan has provided uninterrupted food products not only to its own population, but also to the neighboring countries, with the agricultural output growing by 5 percent year-on-year.

According to the minister, Kazakhstan plans to expand agricultural production in case of the second wave of COVID-19 and is ready to boost export of grains, oilseeds, meat, milk and fodder crops to SCO markets. 

Source: http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2020-10/23/c_139459896.htm