Italian TRAMITE group bets on Kazakh tomatoes for premium products

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, April 1. The minister of agriculture of Kazakhstan, Aidarbek Saparov, held a meeting with Gianantonio Trame, the founder of the Italian company “TRAMITE Group”, and discussed the project on cultivation and processing of tomatoes in Kazakhstan for leading Italian brands, Trend reports.

Aidarbek Saparov noted that within the framework of President Tokayev's directive, aimed at increasing the share of processed products to 70 percent, all necessary measures are being taken in Kazakhstan.

“Particular attention is paid to supporting new and existing processing enterprises. In particular, investment subsidies of 25 percent of the invested capital are provided for the construction of new enterprises and the modernization of existing ones, as well as subsidies for interest rates on loans for working capital, which helps increase the volume of agricultural product processing. Subsidies are also provided for the purchase of herbicides, fuels, fertilizers, seeds, and agricultural machinery to develop the raw material base,” noted Aidarbek Saparov.

Gianantonio Tramet, in turn, emphasized that “TRAMITE Group” is actively looking for partners to supply natural food products from Kazakhstan, which, in his opinion, has favorable climatic conditions and natural resources for producing high-quality products. According to him, the company is particularly interested in setting up a tomato paste production facility and other products in Kazakhstan.

He added that every year, Italy imports 180,000 tons of tomato paste, and "TRAMITE Group" is considering the possibility of redirecting part of this import for processing in Kazakhstan and Central Asian countries.

"The project, which involves the construction of a greenhouse complex on 22 hectares, will begin in May 2025. The project also includes the construction of a tomato paste factory with a capacity of 3,360 tons of raw materials per day, a lucerne granulation plant with a capacity of 30 tons per hour, and a fruit and vegetable processing plant for drying and freezing 200 tons of raw materials per day, with a fruit and vegetable storage facility for 20,000 tons and a refrigeration facility for 10,000 tons," says the Ministry of Agriculture’s statement.

The key partner for the company will be the Kazakh LLC "Agriqa Farms," which is the initiator of the project to create an export agro-industrial cluster in the Shardara region.

"We are interested in large processing projects and are ready to provide comprehensive support for their successful implementation," concluded Aidarbek Saparov.

Kazakhstan will start work on the installation of drip irrigation on an area of 8,000 ha from 2026. The total investment in the project will amount to $100 million.