The Kazakh Ministry of Agriculture has signed an agreement with Mars Petcare Kazakhstan LLP, the U.S. company's local subsidiary, under which a new pet food plant is to be built in Konaev, a city in the country's southeastern part.
"The total volume of investments will amount to more than 88.8 billion tenge" or $174 million, the Kazakh Prime Minister's office said in a statement.
Under the plan, the new factory is to be fitted with a production capability of some 100,000 tons of pet food products per year.
"Construction and commissioning of the facility are planned to be completed by December 31, 2030," said the statement. "The start of operations is scheduled for January 1, 2031. The plant will create 200 jobs, with at least 85% of employees being citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Measures for training and professional development of personnel are also planned."
The Kazakh government expects that the manufacturing project's implementation will make a significant contribution to the development of the country's processing industry. In addition, the investment in Konaev is also expected to broaden "the range of domestically produced goods with high added value" as well as "create a sustainable production base in the region," the statement said.
The past years have brought a surge in investments in Kazakhstan's pet food industry. In 2024, local company KazPetFood unveiled plans to construct Central Asia's first large-capacity pet food plant in Kazakhstan by 2026 in what would represent a major shift in the Central Asian pet food industry. The Kazakh pet food sector has historically relied on imports.
The new production facility is to be operational in the second half of 2026. In the initial phase of its manufacturing activities, the plant is to produce 40,000 tonnes of dry pet food annually. The manufacturer aims to sell pet food not only in the Kazakh market, but also to export it to other markets in Central Asia and beyond.
FeedtechTurkish pet food machine maker launches first sale to Vietnam
Turkey's Feedtech is expanding its international foothold with the company's first sale of pet food production machinery to Vietnam, where it is to be used to set up a major manufacturing facility. The Turkish company was set up in 1969, and it exports its output to some 30 countries across the world, according to a senior company representative.
In a statement, Feedtech said it "is one of the largest companies in Turkey that establishes turnkey factories for the feed industry. It works to meet the needs of its customers' requirements at best with the latest technology and to produce projects based on production efficiency."
The company's projects include pet food production facilities, animal and fish feed factories, as well as other types of manufacturing facilities.
"With the commissioning of the second factory in 1990, our company deepened its expertise in feed production," Rasim Selçuk, the company's founder, told local business daily Ekonomi Gazetesi. "In 1999, Feedtech moved into machine manufacturing by collaborating with two major European companies. In 2008, we established pet food production lines with our third factory. In 2013, we entered the European market with [delivering machinery to] Irish Petfood's facility in Ireland."
The value of the latest contract was not disclosed.
Export sales capture as much as 70% of the company's sales, with the remainder generated in the Turkish producer's domestic market, according to Selçuk. The firm's founder said that the business has a particularly strong presence in Turkey's Manisa province in which local companies produce more than 80% of the country's pet food.
Feedtech
Feedtech
