Kazakhstan’s Agriculture Minister Aidarbek Saparov and Gholam Ali Soleimani, president of the Iranian food company Solico Group, have signed an investment agreement for a major project in deep milk processing.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the cheese production project, with a capacity of 155,000 tons per year, will be implemented in the Almaty region. Investments will total 35.2 billion tenge (over $72 million). Construction work has already begun.
Completion of construction and commissioning of the factory are scheduled for 2029.
The investment agreement provides for a broad package of state support incentives, including the provision of necessary engineering infrastructure to the production site.
According to the agreement, the investor commits to create at least 400 permanent jobs, train local specialists, and transfer modern production technologies. Additionally, from 2028 to 2038, the Iranian company plans to annually allocate approximately 50 million tenge for social initiatives and support of local communities in the Almaty region.
Saparov emphasized that attracting strategic investors to agricultural processing is a priority of state policy in the agro-industrial sector.
“This project will significantly increase the country’s processing capacity and create a guaranteed market for domestic milk producers,” the minister noted.
Gholam Ali Soleimani noted Kazakhstan’s high potential as a regional hub for food production.
“We view Kazakhstan not only as a venue for implementing this specific project, but as a long-term strategic partner. The country has significant agricultural potential, a favorable geographical location, and a favorable investment climate. Along with the cheese factory construction, we are exploring the possibility of implementing new projects in potato processing and baby food production,” he said.
