Iranian Company to Build Oil Plant and Poultry Farm in Kazakhstan

Iranian companies are increasingly looking to Kazakhstan for investment and production as tensions between the United States and Iran continue. Iran’s Golrang Industrial Group plans to implement two major projects in Kazakhstan: the construction of a sunflower oil production plant and a poultry farm for meat production. Agreements on the projects were reached on May 4 between Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture Yermek Kenzhekhanuly and Golrang’s leadership, with total investment estimated at approximately $120 million. At the meeting, Golrang Industrial Group expressed strategic interest in developing its business in Kazakhstan and localizing production. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the first project involves the construction of an oil extraction plant with a processing capacity of up to 3,000 tons of sunflower seeds per day, with direct investment of approximately $70 million. The project is expected to increase the processing depth of Kazakh agricultural raw materials and boost the added value of finished products. Investment in the second project, a poultry meat farm, is estimated at approximately $50 million. The projects come against a backdrop of steadily growing cooperation between Kazakhstan and Iran. In 2025, bilateral agricultural trade increased by 55.8%, exceeding $341 million. Exports of Kazakh products, primarily wheat and barley, have also grown significantly.

Kazakhstan Targets Top Three Global Rank in Sunflower Oil Exports by 2028

Kazakhstan is aiming to become one of the world’s top three exporters of sunflower oil and raise its total exports of oil and fat products to $1 billion by 2028, according to the Ministry of Trade and Integration. Russia remains the global leader in sunflower oil exports, having shipped 4.4 million tons last year. In comparison, Kazakhstan achieved record results in 2025, exporting over 523,400 tons of sunflower oil between January and October, 2.4 times more than its domestic sales. These exports generated $532 million in revenue, placing Kazakhstan among the top ten sunflower oil exporters globally. To further increase output and climb into the top three, the government is shifting from fragmented support measures to a coordinated industry strategy, focused on building integrated export chains. The first meeting of the Export Headquarters for the Promotion of Non-Resource Exports in 2026 was held yesterday in Astana, chaired by Vice Minister of Trade and Integration Aidar Abildabekov. Officials discussed new strategies for expanding agricultural exports and overcoming systemic barriers faced by domestic producers in foreign markets. In 2025, a roadmap for the development of the oil and fat industry for 2026–2028 was finalized. It included an assessment of over 30 enterprises engaged in oilseed cultivation and processing in the northern, eastern, and southeastern regions, including the Abai, East Kazakhstan, Akmola, Zhetysu, and Almaty regions. The roadmap outlines concrete targets to improve processing capacity utilization, broaden export destinations, and position Kazakhstan among the top three global sunflower oil exporters by 2028. Key challenges addressed include rail cargo prioritization, phytosanitary and veterinary controls, registration of Kazakh firms in Chinese trade registries, reimbursement of export costs, and access to financial instruments for state support. Yadykar Ibragimov, a representative of the National Association of Oilseed Processors, emphasized that the roadmap provides a strategic foundation for industry growth. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan significantly increased its sunflower oil exports to Afghanistan as early as 2023.