Tatarstan-Malaysia: the vector of cooperation has been set
A delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Tatarstan, headed by Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan - Minister of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Tatarstan Marat Zyabbarov, is on a working visit to Malaysia.
The purpose of the trip is to expand the export potential of the Republic of Tatarstan and establish cooperation between agricultural universities. A meeting was held today at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of Malaysia.
Let us remind you that the Minister of Agriculture and Food Security of Malaysia, Mohamad Sabu, has already visited our republic as part of the KazanForum 2023. Then, during a meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food of the Republic of Tatarstan, it was proposed to build cooperation and export meat, dairy, confectionery, grain products and sunflower oil to Malaysia. Logistics issues were also discussed at the meeting.
Last year, products worth 1931.76 thousand dollars were imported from Malaysia to Tatarstan. These are mainly palm oil and products used in animal feeding.
Today the parties discussed possible options for cooperation and logistics. Particular attention was on the issue of exporting halal products.
Since 2020, exports of Halal products have increased 2.6 times to $6.5 million. For 2023, it is planned to reach a figure of $8 million; during the current period, Halal products were exported for $7 million (more than 90% of the plan).
The main exporters in the Halal direction are such companies as: Akulchev (confectionery), Essen-Production (confectionery), Agrosila Holding (meat products), Arabic Group (confectionery), Agricultural Production Enterprise "Kausar" (meat products), “Vamin-Tatarstan” (butter).
Currently, in the Republic of Tatarstan there are more than 100 manufacturers of Halal products, including 20 export-oriented companies.
Next, our delegation visited the Department of Islamic Development of Malaysia (JAKIM).
JAKIM acts as a coordinating body for religious development and social progress in Malaysia. It also has the role of coordinating religious affairs within the accountability of the administration.
At the end of today, Marat Zyabbarov got acquainted with the activities of Universiti Putra Malaysia (Agricultural University). The parties discussed the possibilities of cooperation between the Kazan State Agrarian University and the Agricultural University of Malaysia in the search for beneficial microorganisms and the development of promising biological products for agriculture, in joint research in the field of agricultural biotechnology and food industry and joint research in the development of technologies for obtaining crop products and animal feed according to Halal standards.
They also discussed the possibility of developing a system of mutual internships for master’s students in the field of agriculture and developing joint master’s programs in biotechnology in agriculture.
In October, a delegation of rectors of agricultural universities of the Republic of Tatarstan will visit Malaysia to sign a memorandum of cooperation.