ASTANA -- US-based Baumgartner Agricultural Science and Service (BASS) and Kazakhstan's Kusto Group inked an agreement to jointly develop seeds, AKIpress reported Monday (November 19).
The memorandum established a joint venture called KAZSEED, which will use the latest technologies to produce non-genetically modified forage crops.
The quality, climate-adapted seeds will be offered to Kazakh farmers first and then for export to neighbouring countries. The project is aimed at significantly reducing costs for farmers and at increasing profitability across the country.
BASS, a research firm that develops high-yield hybrid seeds, plans to invest about $25 million (9.1 billion KZT) in KAZSEED in the first year.