A surge of imported food products is meeting the growing demand of Kazakhstan consumers, especially for candies, cakes, potato chips, etc. This presents opportunities for U.S. firms. In 1991, some 850,000 tons of meat and 150,000 tons of meat products were processed in Kazakhstan plants. The industry comprises almost 1,300 enterprises, but is dominated by approximately 50 large firms.
Meat remains a highly popular food in Kazakhstan.
Because of extensive grazing land, Kazakhstan has a comparative advantage in livestock production. Besides operations in Astana, the company is supplying processing lines to facilities in Chromtau, a mining town in the north. The processing lines cost between one and two million dollars each. There is some foreign competition from German and Turkish meat-processing companies. One local Kazakhstan company, FoodMaster, has expanded rapidly in the last few years and now sells its dairy products throughout much of southern Kazakhstan.