Agricultural Produce - The Times Of Central Asia

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USAID Equips Mega Fruit Storage Facility in South Kyrgyzstan

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has helped Kyrgyzstan’s Nookat Almasy Cooperative open the largest cold storage facility in the Nookat district of the southern Osh region. Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Kyrgyz Republic Bakyt Torobaev and USAID Mission Director in the Kyrgyz Republic Kaya Adams attended the facility’s opening ceremony. As reported by the U.S. Embassy in Kyrgyzstan, the new facility will generate 200 full-time jobs and assist local farmers in marketing and expanding sales of their produce. Thanks to cooling equipment worth $78,400 from USAID, the Nookat Almasy Cooperative’s new facility can now store locally grown apples and raspberries for up to four months. By extending their shelf life and enabling farmers to sell at a higher price when market conditions improve, the enhanced storage will help maintain market stability and ensure a reliable and consistent food supply throughout the year. Since 2018, the U.S. government has helped establish over 20 new cold storage facilities in southern Kyrgyzstan, more than doubling capacity to reach 12,500 tons, decreasing food spoilage by 40%, and creating income-generating activities for over 4,000 local farmers.

Milk production Agricultural Import Agricultural Produce

Kazakhstan to Double Milk Production in Three Years

Since 2021, Kazakhstan’s milk production has increased by almost 20% and exceeded 600 thousand tons. Over the next three years, that volume is set to double to 1.2 million tons, through a government preferential financing program announced by Kazakh Minister of Agriculture Aidarbek Saparov at the 3rd International Forum of Dairy Farming and Processing, PRO Milk 24. The forum held in Astana last week, gathered over 500 milk producing and processing enterprises, as well as dairy industry experts from 12 countries, to share their best practices. The minister outlined government measures to lower the cost of milk. As animal feed accounts for up to 70% of the cost of milk production, the Ministry of Agriculture plans to diversify fodder crops, increase their yields, and develop efficient irrigation. At last year’s forum, it was reported that whilst Kazakhstan’s milk processing reached 2.1 million tons, the import of raw milk remained high, increasing from 580 thousand tons in 2022 to 800 thousand tons in 2023. In addition to increasing domestic milk production, Kazakhstan needs to reduce the share of imported dairy products, the bulk of which comprises cream, butter, and cheese. Speaking at the forum, Bauyrzhan Aitkulov, Director of the Projects Department at Kazakh Invest, stressed the importance of adopting new approaches to improve investment in the dairy industry and in this regard, said that the Government of Kazakhstan is introducing proactive mechanisms for attracting investment and expanding its measures of support.

Agricultural Produce International trade Agricultural Export

China Seeks to Import 20,000 Tons of Pork from Kazakhstan

Representatives of the Chinese Meat Association visited EMC Agro, one of the largest meat processing enterprises in Kazakhstan, with an interest in importing 20 thousand tons of pork per year. The Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture reported that during their tour of the facility in North Kazakhstan, the Chinese delegation witnessed the processing cycle from slaughter to packaging. Fully automated, the process complies with international sanitary and epidemiological standards, with quality control monitored around the clock by a laboratory equipped with German analysers. The produce is then frozen. Regarding the company’s readiness to supply China with 60% of its produce, EMC Agro head Erzhan Yeleubaev stated, “China has great demands. Supply volumes must be stable and raw materials must be safe. Our meat is of high quality, we have no doubt in our products, and we are ready for fruitful cooperation. The Chinese market is important for us.” The EMC Agro meat processing plant has a production capacity of 20,000 tons of meat per year and 30 tons of finished meat products per day. In February 2024, China finally cancelled the ban in place since 2022, on the import of meat imposed by concerns over foot-and-mouth disease in Kazakhstan.

Agricultural Produce Agricultural Export International Cooperation Foreign Investment Employment

New Plant for Deep Processing of Grain in Kostanay, Kazakhstan

At the Kazakh-Chinese Business Council meeting in Astana on July 2, the administration of Kostanay, Baiterek Venture Fund, KazFoodProducts, and the Chinese company Myande Group signed a Memorandum of cooperation for the construction of the Qostanay Grain Industry plant in Kostanay. As reported by Kazakh Invest, the plant for the deep processing of wheat into amino acids, bioethanol, gluten, animal feed, and wheat bran, when launched in 2027, will manufacture 430 thousand tons of products per year and create about 600 jobs. Hailing the agreement as an important step in strengthening bilateral relations, Rong Zhen, CEO of Myande Group, stated, “We see huge potential in the agro-industrial sector of Kazakhstan, and this cooperation will increase its efficiency and manufacturability and open up new opportunities for Kazakh products to enter the Chinese market." Alikhan Kairatbek, CEO of KazFoodProducts, added: "Based on the quadripartite agreement, it is planned to increase the production of starch molasses to 33 thousand tons per year for further use by domestic confectionery companies. New jobs will be created. Together with the Akimat (administration) of Kostanay region and Baiterek Venture Fund, we are launching large–scale projects in the field of agriculture and are very pleased to have a strategic partnership with Myande Group." Myande Group will also upgrade the AsiaGrowFood plant for deep processing of corn in the Almaty region to increase its production from 200 to 300 tons per day. Deep processing of grain is one of the most promising areas in the manufacturing industry regarding products with high added value. Kazakhstan annually harvests 16-17 million tons of grain, a third of which are exported. Over 260 different types of products with added value can be produced from grain.

Agricultural Produce Foreign Investment Employment

Turkish Investment in Greenhouses in Kazakhstan

On July 2, Chairman of the Board of Kazakh Invest Yerzhan Yelekeyev, met Abbas Sahin, Vice-President of the Turkish group Alarko, to discuss the construction of a greenhouse complex in Shymkent in South Kazakhstan. As reported by Kazakh Invest, Alarko signed a contract with the Investment Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, to invest $150 million in the country’s agro-industrial sector for the first stage of a project comprising the construction of greenhouses, spanning 200 hectares, and creating 1,750 jobs. Preparations by the Turkish company for construction are now underway, with completion scheduled for 2026. Once in operation, the greenhouses aim to produce up to 50,000 tons of tomatoes per year. “Our company has operated in your country for the last 32 years,” said Abbas Sahin. “Given the large land area and available export markets, Kazakhstan has everything necessary to develop the agro-industrial sector. We see the amount of work that has been done in creating the excellent investor protection mechanisms that are now available to investors. We trust the country and have already invested approximately $700 million into projects implemented in Kazakhstan.” In response, Yelekeyev thanked the Turkish investor for contributing to the development of Kazakhstan’s economy and announced, “Turkey is an important partner of Kazakhstan, having implemented more than 70 projects worth $2.8 billion over the years of independence. We highly appreciate that Turkish companies continue to trust Kazakhstan and actively support measures to implement their projects successfully.”

International investment Agricultural Produce CITIC

Chinese Investment in Deep Processing Grain Plant in Kazakhstan

On 25 June, Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Serik Zhumangarin and Chairman of the Board of National Company Kazakh Invest Yerzhan Yelekeyev met the leadership of CITIC Construction in China, to discuss the construction of a plant for deep processing of grain. As reported by Kazakh Invest, CITIC Construction is one of China's leading construction and engineering companies, with a turnover of $2.5 billion. In 2023, the company implemented a similar project in Belarus. In Kazakhstan, the Chinese company plans to implement the project, primarily located in the Almaty region and with the creation of 2,000 jobs, in several phases. With a total capacity to process up to 1 million tons of wheat per year, the plant will produce fructose syrup, crystalline fructose, allulose, crystalline dextrose, sodium gluconate, gluten, and feed. It is anticipated that the cost of the build will exceed $1 billion. "We are ready to provide comprehensive support for the implementation of the project,” stated Yelekeyev. “Deep processing of grain is one of the priorities and promising areas in the strategic development of the economy of Kazakhstan. Our country is one of the largest wheat producers in the world and is ready to contribute to ensuring food security in the region, as the area of land for crops cultivation and livestock grazing exceeds 200 million hectares.”