Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Agriculture and China’s Fufeng Group have signed an investment agreement to construct a deep corn processing plant in the Zhambyl region of southern Kazakhstan.
According to the ministry, the project will establish a vertically integrated industrial park with an annual corn processing capacity of up to one million tons. The complex will feature a starch production facility, three bio-fermentation plants, a coal-fired thermal power station, and a wastewater treatment plant. Future plans include facilities for producing hydrochloric acid and liquid ammonia.
The site will also manufacture amino acids and feed additives such as lysine, glutamine, glutamic acid, leucine, and threonine. The output will be primarily aimed at export markets in Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
Fufeng Group will invest approximately $350 million in the initial phase of the project, with the total investment expected to reach $800 million.
Production is scheduled to begin in 2029, with plans to scale up to five million tons of processed corn annually by 2032. The company intends to purchase 500,000 tons of locally grown corn starting in 2025 and to sign forward contracts with Kazakhstani agricultural producers in 2026.
This investment follows a broader trend of Chinese capital flowing into Kazakhstan’s agro-industrial sector. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Chinese biopharmaceutical firm Yili Chuanning Biological Co. is investing $500 million in a major corn processing project in the Almaty region. That initiative will utilize advanced biotechnology to produce amino acids, probiotics, and biodegradable materials, including medical and packaging products.
