Turkish Iskefe Holding to build edible gelatin plant in Kazakhstan
On November 18, Minister of Agriculture Aidarbek Saparov held a meeting with Bilal Alkoç, Chairman of the Board of Iskefe Holding, to discuss the prospects for implementing an investment project for the production of edible gelatin, Kazinform News Agency reports.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the Turkish company plans to start construction of the high-tech enterprise with a projected capacity of 7,000 tonnes per year in 2026. The project is estimated at 22.5 billion tenge.
The Kazakh Minister noted strategic importance of the project for the development of the country’s processing industry and for deeper involvement of leather raw materials in processing.
11 enterprises with an annual capacity of 3.3 million cattle hides and 3.1 million small ruminant hides are operating today in Kazakhstan in the field of leather raw materials processing. However, the actual processing rate remains low: in 2024, only 5.9% of raw hides were processed, 7.7% exported, while 86.4% remained unclaimed.
“The project is of great importance for the development of the agro-industrial complex. The new plant will enable to involve significant volumes of raw materials to be processed, increase the efficiency of the industry and expand export potential. We are ready to provide comprehensive assistance in the implementation of the project,” emphasized Saparov.
He also recalled that the state had provided extensive support measures for the development of skin and wool processing, including investment subsidies, subsidies for wool shearing points, mobile complexes and equipment, subsidies for farmers delivering wool for processing, and tax breaks.
As part of the 2024-2028 Comprehensive Plan for the Development of Agricultural Product Processing, the Ministry plans to create more than 70 wool collection points and about 200 mobile shearing complexes. These measures are expected to significantly increase the share of processed raw materials and strengthen Kazakhstan’s position in the global market for leather and gelatin products.
Representatives of Iskefe Holding, in turn, expressed confidence that the implementation of the project will have a long-term positive impact on the development of Kazakhstan's processing industry, create additional jobs and expand the volume of exported high-value-added products.
It should be noted that Kazakhstan's cooperation with Turkish businesses continues to develop actively. To date, work is underway on 14 joint projects worth 1.1 billion US dolars, of which seven have already been successfully implemented.
Earlier, Kazinform News Agency reported that preferential agricultural lending in Kazakhstan surpassed 1 trillion tenge.
