Russia could help Kazakhstan produce plant-based products

MOSCOW. Sept 26 (Interfax) - Russia could help Kazakhstan produce plant-based products, plant-based meat first and foremost, the Union of Plant-Based Product Producers said following a meeting of industry representatives with Kazakh Trade and Integration Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Serik Zhumangarin.

The prospects for cooperation between the two countries in the innovative food industry were discussed at the meeting. Representatives of Kazakhstan noted high demand for plant-based products, soy milk in particular, consumption of which could be significantly higher than the Russian figures. They were also particularly interested in plant-based meat production technology, including the experience of Efko Group of Companies in the sphere of innovation.

Olga Salyakhutdinova, Efko's executive director of the plant-based products business, said at the meeting that the company was ready to discuss cooperation and to help Kazakh specialists develop a promising area of business on the Asian market. At the same time, conventional meat consumption in Kazakhstan is extremely high, Salyakhutdinova said.

Valeria Rodina, executive director of the union, said, touching on Kazakh colleagues' interest in the development of the FoodNet market, that the plant-based product industry, as an innovative area of the food industry, is a part of the Russian FoodNet market. Rodina noted the prospects for joint development in the hi-tech sphere.

According to the union, the turnover of the Russian non-dairy milk market totaled over 5.5 billion rubles in 2021 and that of the meat substitute market amounted to 4 billion rubles. Approximately 40 companies specializing in the production of plant-based milk, meat, cheese, and fish currently operate on the Russian market.

According to experts, Russia has the chance to hold up to 20% of the global meat substitute market by 2030, the volume of which will by then amount to around $200 billion.

The Union of Plant-Based Product Producers was founded in Russia in 2021.