This was the message delivered by Andrey Slepnev, the Eurasian Economic Commission's minister for trade, as he welcomed participants to the session titled "Eurasian Agroexpress: New Horizons and Possibilities" during the 4th Eurasian Economic Forum in Minsk.
"The Eurasian Economic Union and its member states are positioning themselves as a key player in global agricultural production and are ready to make a substantial contribution to international food security", Slepnev said. "We see this as the mission of our sector, and achieving this requires quality logistics."
According to Slepnev, efficient, affordable, and rapid logistics can help unlock the agricultural potential of entire regions. Since the launch of the Eurasian Agro-Express, a reliable delivery schedule has been established, especially for shipments to and from China.
"I would like to note that while the project initially focused on Southeast Asia and the Chinese market, today its reach is expanding significantly", he said. "It is encouraging to see practical work begin on the North–South corridor, a highly promising route for agri-food products."
Slepnev emphasized that the corridor includes not just Iran but also other countries in the region. For example, integrating the United Arab Emirates into the Eurasian Agro-Express project would be an exciting development. An economic partnership agreement with the UAE is set to be signed on June 27, with agricultural trade being a key component.
Additionally, work is underway with Mongolia, one of the closest EAEU partners and a key transit country en route to China. The agreement with Mongolia, also scheduled for signing on June 27, opens up significant opportunities for an increase in shipments. This includes not only the export of agricultural goods from the EAEU, but also the return shipment of Mongolian meat and dairy products, which are in demand in member countries.
The Eurasian Agro-Express is an integration project aimed at providing expedited rail and multimodal transportation of agricultural and food cargo both within the EAEU and to third countries. In the three years since its launch, the project has transported over 1.5 million tons of cargo, more than half of which was refrigerated. In 2024, the total volume of transported goods increased by 23% compared to the project's first year in 2022.
