Iran Agrees to Allocate Land for Building Kazakh Grain Terminal

Tehran has expressed its readiness to grant land in its southern Bandar Abbas Port in Hormozgan Province to Kazakhstan for a terminal aimed at facilitating the trade and transportation of grain.
A delegation led by Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade and Integration Serik Zhumangarin visited Bandar Abbas and "expressed interest in creating their own transshipment facilities on the coast of the Persian Gulf," the Kazakh premier’s office reported on Nov. 3.
The Iranian side agreed to allocate land for the construction of an inland terminal in the port of Bandar Abbas. A working group will be created jointly with the administration of the port of Bandar Abbas and representatives of Kazakh businesses to study the possibilities of building silos to increase Kazakh grain transshipment volumes, Caspian News reported.
During the visit, Zhumangarin signed an agreement with Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Safari to increase grain exports. 
They also discussed their intention of increasing trade between Kazakhstan and Iran to $3 billion and boosting bilateral agricultural trade to $1 billion.
"We are interested in increasing the volume of mutual trade in agro-industrial products with Iran by up to $1 billion, as well as deliveries to the markets of Pakistan, India, Southeast Asia and East Africa, which are new to Kazakhstan," the Kazakh deputy premier said.
“Our proposal to Iran is not only about building a grain terminal, but also includes related structures and equipment, including wheat and flour warehouses, cold storages and equipment for storing meat.” 
Zhumangarin noted that the private sector of Kazakhstan will pay for the implementation of this project, after reaching an agreement with Iran.
The Iranian and Kazakh officials also discussed the development of container routes for transit through Iran. 
Currently, three railroads and favorable tariffs have been established for container shipments via Iran to third countries.
Iranian Roads and Urban Development Minister Rostam Qasemi said on Oct. 31 that Kazakhstan will cooperate with Iran in rail, road, sea and air transportation, as well as cargo transfer through the North-South and East-West corridors.
Currently, there is a memorandum on the supply of 1 million tons of grain from Kazakhstan to Iran, as well as a memorandum on Kazakhstan-Iran cooperation in trade and transit of agricultural products for the supply of Kazakh grain, oilseeds, vegetable oils, confectionery and meat products, and the import of vegetables, fruits and dairy products from Iran.
In mid-June, the Kazakh and Iranian presidents attended a ceremony to launch a train service from Kazakhstan to Turkey via Iran. 
The Iran-Kazakhstan transit pact signed on May 23 requires cargo from China to Europe to switch to the Iranian route. 
Earlier, Chinese cargo was transported to Europe via Russia by a land route north of the Caspian Sea.