ASTANA – Kazakhstan plans to launch a full-scale snack production plant, based on American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation PepsiCo and valued at $160 million of private foreign investment, in 2026. Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov discussed this project at a meeting with David Manzini, President of PepsiCo for Central Asia, Russia, Belarus, and the Caucasus on June 14.
Olzhas Bektenov and David Manzini. Photo credit: primeminister.kz
The Prime Minister’s press release highlighted that localization of production and transfer of innovative technologies will enable to elevate the level of deep processing of Kazakh agricultural products.
Set to become the largest of its kind in Central Asia, the plant will be built in the Almaty Region and will produce salty snacks, including Lays potato chips. Its initial capacity will be up to 16,000 tons of finished products annually, with an increase to 21,000 tons projected for 2027. During construction, up to a thousand people will be employed, and the operational phase will create approximately 350 qualified jobs.
Manzini expressed PepsiCo’s intention to purchase primarily local raw materials, working to conclude contracts with Kazakh farmers for test batches of potatoes. The company plans to source between 50,000 to 66,000 tons of potatoes from 2026 to 2030, with a subsequent increase. The plant will ensure a high level of processing and adhere to principles of environmental sustainability, recycling 100% of its waste.
Bektenov emphasized the project’s importance for agricultural development, increasing farmers’ incomes, and strengthening the national economy. Such large-scale investment initiatives align with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s goals to diversify the economy. This project is part of the implementation of agreements between Tokayev and PepsiCo President Ramon Laguarta.
The plant is included in a pool of priority investment projects under special government oversight. As of the first quarter of 2024, this pool comprises 704 projects valued at 32 trillion tenge (US$70.5 billion), expected to create 122,500 jobs.
The United States stands as one of Kazakhstan’s most important investment partners, with over $53 billion invested in the country’s economy over the past two decades. Global giants such as Chevron, ExxonMobil, Pfizer, General Electric, and Wabtec operate successfully in various sectors in Kazakhstan.
