Kazakhstan secures record-breaking contracts at Gulfood 2026 in Dubai
Kazakhstan’s participation at the Gulfood 2026 international exhibition in Dubai witnessed the signing of export and investment documents worth 335.4 million US dollars, the Kazakh Trade and Integration Ministry announced on Thursday, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The agreements were settled during a roundtable led by the QazTrade trade policy development center and emerged as one of the key practical outcomes of Kazakhstan's participation in the world's largest food industry exhibition.
The event was joined by up to 35 representatives of Kazakhstani businesses and over 50 foreign companies and organizations from the UAE, the Gulf states, Türkiye, China, and other markets. The roundtable gathered producers, traders, distributors, representatives of chain retailers, HoReCa, and investment structures, and was dedicated to concluding specific commercial agreements.
According to the Ministry, 19 documents were signed or announced in total. The largest agreements involve the supply of grain crops.
240 million US dollars worth of cooperation agreements to export up to 800,000 tons of grain have been reached with partners from the UAE and Oman, it added.
A number of memorandums are aimed at creating a sustainable infrastructure for the presence of Kazakhstani companies in the region, ranging from logistics and service solutions to the promotion of high-value-added products, said the Ministry.
On the sidelines of the event, Arman Shakkaliyev, Kazakh Trade and Integration Minister, met with the senior officials at LuLu Group International, one of the largest retail chains in the Middle East and Asia.
The meeting discussed expanding the presence of Kazakhstani goods in the LuLu retail chain, establishing direct contracts with domestic producers, and expanding the supply of high-value-added products.
Special focus was placed to investment opportunities, including the development of logistics and warehousing infrastructure in Kazakhstan, packaging and pre-sale preparation projects, and the development of long-term purchasing programs for export markets, said the Ministry.
The Gulfood 2026 international exhibition saw Kazakhstan's first-ever participation as a single national pavilion.
Earlier, Qazinform reported Kazakhstan becomes the top 10 importer of Chinese cars.
