BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 25. China’s Fufeng Group plans to establish a long-term partnership with Kazakh farmers for corn procurement and training qualified specialists, Chairman Li Xuechun said during a meeting with Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in Almaty today, according to the president’s press service.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Kazakhstan-China Investment Forum.
During the meeting, Tokayev congratulated Li Xuechun on the launch of the industrial park for deep processing of corn in Kazakhstan’s Zhambyl region. The president said the facility is of strategic importance for Kazakhstan’s industrial development and the formation of a new area of agro-industrial biotechnology.
He stressed the importance of ensuring stable supplies of raw materials and creating an agricultural belt around the industrial park.
Li Xuechun, in turn, said Fufeng Group plans to build a long-term partnership with Kazakh farmers for corn procurement and the training of qualified specialists.
The parties also discussed the possibility of establishing a joint educational program with Kazakh universities and an R&D center at the enterprise, involving domestic research institutions.
The Fufeng Group chairman noted Kazakhstan’s strong resource advantages and favorable conditions for implementing large-scale projects, including in agriculture.
Investment in the production complex will amount to $350 million at the first stage, with the plant set to process up to 500,000 tons of corn annually.
At the second stage, the plant’s capacity is planned to increase to 3 million tons of corn per year, with an expanded range of products. Investment at this stage will amount to $1.15 billion.
The development of the industrial park is expected to create around 1,500 jobs and establish a full production cycle for deep grain processing in Kazakhstan.
