June 1, 2009

Kazakhstan opens first certified poultry meat facility

The first fully certified poultry meat processing plant has been opened in Kazakhstan - the first stage in a multi-million-dollar investment plan for the region.

According to local news reports, agriculture minister Akhylbek Kurishbayev participated in the opening of the factory meat processing plant at the site of the Ust Kamenogorsk poultry farm. The production is part of the investment plan Eurasia.

The factory will supply consumers with products meeting all world standards as well as those of Islamic halal. The products will also have Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) food safety certification.

According to the director general of the Ust Kamenogorsk poultry farm Serik Tolukpayev, the total sum invested in the Eurasia project will be US$70 million.

Tolukpayev hopes that the country would become a leader in the market in Kazakhstan and central Asian countries in the production and sale of poultry meat by 2014.

The project will take seven years to complete, and will take place in three phases.