As part of the meeting, IOFS delegation paid a visit to the International Research Centre «Water Hub» at the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University, the purpose of which is to find and transfer the best innovative technologies and obtain new knowledge in the field of water resource management.
Director-General of IOFS H.E. Yerlan A. Baidaulet and H.E. Tlektes Yespolov discussed the strengthening of cooperation as well as the further development of modern laboratories and their capabilities.
On the same day Director-General of IOFS H.E. Yerlan A. Baidaulet and Assan Ospanov, Director-General of the Kazakh Research Institute of Processing and Food Industry (Institute), signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Islamic Food Processing Association (IFPA) and the Institute.
The purpose of the MoU is to strengthen bilateral relations between IFPA and the Institute, as well as to enhance cooperation in promoting agri-food projects with investments related to the use of Islamic finance.
The Memorandum covers cooperation in the area of investment and trade, as well as carrying out joint activities related to the export of the agri-food sector, including roadshows, online webinars, training programs, professional courses for potential agrifood projects and presentations to investors, etc.
Following the meeting, the parties agreed to further develop cooperation within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding.
After the signing of the Memorandum, Institute, together with Kazakh Fruit and Vegetable Research Institute, presented the current areas of activities of the institutes, as well as visited innovation centers and laboratories.
In the afternoon of 22 June, a roundtable with Experts on Development of Livestock in OIC Member Countries was held at the Institute of Genetics and Physiology of the Committee of Science of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan under the Chairmanship of Director-General of IOFS H.E. Yerlan A. Baidaulet as part of his work visit to the research institutes of NASEC located in the city of Almaty.
Leading Kazakh scientists from the Institutes of Genetics and Physiology, as well as the Institutes of Zoology and Animal Husbandry and Forage Production, the Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Animal Husbandry and Forage Production, the Kazakh Scientific Agrarian Research University, the Institute of Botany and Phytointroduction, and the Institute of Experimental Biology, attended the event.
The roundtable opened with an overview of IOFS strategic programs on the development of the cattle sector in the Member States: a) Establishment of OIC Center of Excellence on Livestock Development; b) Development of National Gene Banks, with the goal conservation and enhancement of plant and animal genetic resources; and (c) "Qurban meat" program.
Within the discussion, special attention was given to the establishment of the International Center for Conservation and Reproduction of Plant and Animal Genetic Resources for OIC Member Countries, necessary approaches for implementation of this program, required capacity and functionality of such International Bank. Experience in the collection and storage of genetic resources was also discussed at the roundtable.
At the end of the roundtable, the parties noted the relevance and timeliness of IOFS programs and looked forward to working closely with scientists from the OIC and IOFS Member States on the aforementioned projects.
