Dalian Hesheng Holdings Group Co., Ltd. of China has announced plans to set up a vertical import-industrial chain park for the deep processing of wheat in Kazakhstan’s Akmola region. This project was discussed between Olzhas Bektenov, Kazakhstan’s prime minister, and a delegation from the company.
Investment projections for the first phase of the project range between 500 and 800 million dollars, with an additional one billion dollars earmarked for phases two and three. The plant will process one million tons of wheat in its initial phase and is expected to reach a throughput capacity of three million tons per year during the next two phases. The initiative is expected to create around two thousand jobs. Construction is to begin in the second quarter of next year.
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The project will include the construction of a coal-fired thermal power plant and coal chemical complex, which will then serve as a source for about 150,000 – 400,000 tons of liquid ammonia annually. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov also noted that further development efforts must go into wheat processing, especially, with the production of value-added products in high demand. He directed government agencies to fast-track the drawing up of the investment deal with Dalian Hesheng Holdings.
Kazakhstan is a very lucrative market for deep grain processing, harvesting between 16 and 17 million tons of grain every year. After processing, over 260 different high-value products will be generated from the grains, which include bioethanol, animal feed, and gluten.