Cengiz Holding to invest US$500m in two sugar plants in Kazakhstan
300,000-ton capacity project aims to slash import dependence as local production meets only 14% of demand.
KAZAKHSTAN – Turkish conglomerate Cengiz Holding will invest $500 million to construct two sugar-processing factories in Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Agriculture has confirmed.
The commitment was made during a meeting between Agriculture Minister Aidarbek Saparov and Cengiz Holding board member Jengiz Shaban. The plants will have a combined annual capacity of up to 300,000 tons and are likely to be located in North Kazakhstan or Pavlodar regions.
Construction is scheduled to start in 2026, with production expected to begin within two years. Over the 10-year investment horizon, the facilities will also generate by-products such as animal feed, food ingredients, and industrial alcohol.
Minister Saparov described the project as “strategically important” for national food security, highlighting the urgent need for new processing capacity and a stable raw-material base.
Kazakhstan currently operates four sugar factories with a total capacity of 870,000 tons per year. Three plants process domestically grown sugar beets, while the fourth relies on imported cane.
Despite this infrastructure, local production covers only 14 percent of the country’s approximately 500,000-ton annual consumption.
In 2024, Kazakhstan harvested a record 1.2 million tons of sugar beets, yet only about 700,000 tons were processed, exposing ongoing sector inefficiencies.
The Cengiz initiative follows similar expressions of interest from other foreign investors. Turkey’s Safi Holding and UAE-based Al Khaleej Sugar — which runs the world’s largest standalone refinery — have also announced plans for new sugar facilities in Kazakhstan.
Existing plants include Aksu-Kant in Taldykorgan district, Koksu Sugar Factory in Almaty region, and the Merken and Taraz factories in Zhambyl region.
The surge in proposed investments signals a concerted push to reduce Kazakhstan’s heavy reliance on imported sugar and better utilise its strong domestic beet harvests.
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