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KPPF and International IFPA sign a Memorandum of Cooperation

Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan – International Islamic Food Processing Association (“IFPA”) and Kazakhstan Project Preparation Fund LLP (“KPPF”), a subsidiary of Baiterek Holding, signed a Memorandum of Cooperation (“MoC”). The signing ceremony was jointly witnessed by H.E. Sheikh Bilal Khan, Director General and CEO of IFPA and Mr. Murat Zhekey, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of KPPF.

The major thrust of the MoC is to promote mutually beneficial cooperation between IFPA and KPPF in the areas of project initiation and preparation, assisting project owners in search of Islamic investors and raising Islamic funds. The agreement especially signifies the opportunity to support potential Islamic investors in project preparation, including cost determination, and consulting on corporate and Islamic finance issues, assisting the exchange of expertise and know-how including Islamic legal requirements.

The two parties expressed their mutual satisfaction towards this new impetus and synergy given to a collaboration that will focus primarily on resolving organizational, technical and administrative issues related to project initiation and preparation in agri-food sectors in the Republic of Kazakhstan. The backbone of the MoC is based on the engagement to increase investments related to the use of Islamic finance, investment funds, Shariah structuring, Sukuk listing and other Islamic investment instruments from the markets of the 57 Organization of Islamic Cooperation (“OIC”).

The management of IFPA expressed “their sincere gratitude to KPPF for their excellent spirit of trust and genuine dedication to achieving the high-quality and sustainable development outcomes in agri-food projects.” In their turn the management of KPPF noted that “KPPF sees in this MoC a first concrete step among many more to come for the benefit of all agri-food sector ecosystem of Kazakhstan.”

Contacts:

IFPA – Business & Media Enquiries:

Mr. Meirambek Issabekov, Head of Administration, meirambeki@ifpa-iofs.org, +77077001732
Ms. Elvira Berdauletova, Head of PR & Communications, elvirab@ifpa-iofs.org, +77770216055 

KPPF – Business & Media Enquiries:

Ms. Aldanysh Kossubayeva, Analyst, a.kosubayeva@kppf.kz

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International Islamic Food Processing Association and Poultry Union of Kazakhstan sign a Memorandum of Understanding

International Islamic Food Processing Association (“IFPA”) held a meeting with the representatives of Poultry Union of Kazakhstan(“Union”). During the latest meeting, the parties discussed in detail the prospects of cooperation and signed a mutual agreement to further advance bilateral cooperation. After the roundtable discussion, H.E. Sheikh Bilal Khan, Director General and CEO of IFPA, and Mr. Ruslan Sharipov, President of the Union signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) for cooperation in poultry industry of Kazakhstan.

During the meeting Mr. Ruslan Sharipov noted that “poultry is a rapidly growing industry fuelled by increasing demand from Kazakhstani consumers. Union as a non-profit organization integrates the largest producers of poultry meat of Kazakhstan who are the main suppliers of all production in the country. The Union will benefit from the cooperation with IFPA and look forward to working closely in developing a pragmatic and cooperative approach to solving the issues of the poultry industry”.

Director General and CEO of IFPA H.E Sheikh Bilal Khan remarked that “OIC markets have a huge demand for value-added agri-food products of Kazakhstan and IFPA will work closely with the Union to develop the export potential of the poultry products.”

After the signing ceremony, the parties expressed their resolve and commitment to enhancing their level of cooperation for the continued stability and sustainable development of the poultry enterprises.

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International IFPA and JSC “National Company Kazakh Invest” have reached a bilateral agreement to foster collaboration in areas of strategic interest

June 24 2021, Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan – International Islamic Food Processing Association (“IFPA”) and JSC “National Company Kazakh Invest” (“Kazakh Invest”) agreed to build cooperation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) on the promotion of agri-food projects with investments that relate to the use of Islamic finance and investments in the wider market of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This MoU was signed by H.E. Sheikh Bilal Khan, Director General and CEO of IFPA, and Mr.  Meirzhan Yussupov, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of Kazakh Invest.

Kazakh Invest is the primary government body to attract and facilitate inward investments and its Board of Directors is headed by the Prime Minister, H.E. Askar Mamin. Its mandate is to strengthen the regulation, supervision and practices of foreign investment projects in priority sectors of the economy of Kazakhstan.

The mission of IFPA is to enable and promote intra-OIC trade and investment between agri-food private sector businesses across the entire ecosystem and food supply chain in the OIC member states including Kazakhstan and the markets of GCC countries.

Kazakh Invest and IFPA have a shared objective of facilitating business connections and strategic partnerships in the investment of the wider food supply chain and further development of export markets. This MoU provides for continued strengthening of future cooperation between the parties in achieving common goals that will increase the contribution of the agri-food sector to the growing GDP of Kazakhstan.

H.E. Sheikh Bilal Khan, Director General and CEO of IFPA said: “there is a real desire to explore possibilities for joint collaboration on activities and projects in supporting agri-food investors via Kazakh Invest on matters of Shariah structuring, Sukuk listing, Islamic investment funds and other Islamic instruments, which is globally a $3 trillion industry. This agreement will also help promote Kazakh Invest agri-food projects within the OIC member states and connect Islamic investors from the OIC markets to agri-food projects in Kazakhstan.”

Mr.  Meirzhan Yussupov, Chairman of the Kazakh Invest, remarked that “I welcome this important initiative which formalizes and strengthens the relationship between our two bodies. I look forward to continuing to build on our constructive cooperation in the interest of enhancing cooperation to promote investment projects and working closely with IFPA to target different ticket size investment deals for agri-food projects in Kazakhstan.”

The parties agreed to set up a joint working group with tangible actions and timelines for 2021 and onwards.

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International IFPA and Association of Oil and Fat Producers of Kazakhstan agreed to organize a joint forum

          On June 24 2021, International Islamic Food Processing Association (“IFPA”) held a bilateral meeting with the Executive Director of the Oil and Fat Producers Association of Kazakhstan (“Association”). The Association was established in 2016, and currently has the mission to support the comprehensive and sustainable development of the oil and fat producing industry in Kazakhstan by increasing the volume of high-quality and domestically produced natural products and enhance the export capacity.

           During the meeting H.E. Sheikh Bilal Khan, Director General and CEO of IFPA and Ms. Dilyara Yevnieva, Executive Director of the Association discussed the production, economic and trade indicators of the oil and fat industry. Despite the impression given by several sources to the contrary, oils and fats are almost ubiquitous in food processing, and they remain an essential part of the human diet.

          Ms. Dilyara Yevnieva noted that “the oil and fat industry is one of the fastest-growing and export-oriented industries. The segment includes butter, tallow, rapeseed oil, sunflower seed oil, cottonseed oil and other oils. Over the last years, the industry has shown positive trends and peak indicators in Kazakhstan.” H.E. Sheikh Bilal Khan remarked that “such meetings help us identify areas of opportunity and growth partnership through trade exports and inward investments to diversify the portfolio of assets suitable for OIC markets.”

         The parties signed an agreement whereby the Association will join IFPA as a valuable honorary member and agreed to continue their discussions with their members through a jointly organized special forum.

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New technology implementation in the egg production industry was discussed at the meeting with International IFPA

         On June 22 2021, International Islamic Food Processing Association (“IFPA”) held a meeting with the President of the Kazakhstan Egg Producers’ Association (“Association”), where the Association signed the Honorary Membership Agreement.

          The Association was established in 2017. Initially, the entity was launched with the only aim to increase production volumes. However, the sector is now encountering overproduction challenges, declining business profitability, and a shortage of governmental subsidy support of the small and medium enterprises which are the major representatives of this industry. The Association includes 16 enterprises, among them 12 poultry farms, and 4 enterprises engaged in the production of feed and equipment for poultry farming.

         The Association is accredited by the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of the Republic of Kazakhstan «Atameken», the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of  Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and is a member of the International Egg Commission (UK), the Association of Environmental Organizations of Kazakhstan, and the Union of Food Enterprises of Kazakhstan.

          The President of the Association, Mr. Maxim Bozhko discussed with H.E. Sheikh Bilal Khan, Director General and CEO of IFPA the advantages of using powdered egg and investment opportunities in the sector. Powdered eggs have a storage life of 2 or more years depending on the environment. The shelf life can further be extended by placing powdered eggs in air tight containers. Transportation requires no refrigeration or cold chain as in the case of liquid eggs which increases export volumes of processed eggs and diminishes the dependency on breakage and cold storage.

         The Director General and CEO of IFPA and The President of the Association expressed their willingness for closer cooperation to establish 2 major processing plants in Nur-Sultan and Almaty, as well as major storage terminal in the border region between Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.

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International Islamic Food Processing Association signs two historic agreements with the Meet Union of Kazakhstan and the Republican Chamber of Angus Kazakhstan

          On June 21 2021, International Islamic Food Processing Association (“IFPA”) held a meeting with the Executive Director of the Meet Union of Kazakhstan (“Union”) and also the Director of the Republican Chamber of Angus Kazakhstan (“Chamber”).

          Established in 2014, the Union involves more than 50 individual entrepreneurs and legal entities representing the meat industry of Kazakhstan. The Union aims to protect interests and cooperate in strengthening efforts for the dynamic development of the meat industry in Kazakhstan, while the Chamber was established in 2012 and embraces more than 150 members.

          During the meeting, H.E. Sheikh Bilal Khan, Director General and CEO of IFPA, Mr. Askar Zhubatyrov, the Executive Director of the Union and Mr. Salykov Dauren, Director of the Chamberdiscussed the increase of meat quality and certification of the product, introduction of modern technologies and genetics to increase the profitability of the industry, global labelling of Kazakh meat as Halal and natural/organic products, certification of production, including for export, and other services supporting the work of the meat production and processing industry. The roundtable concluded with two signing ceremonies of the honorary membership agreement between IFPA and the Union and also between IFPA and the Chamber, reaffirming all parties’ confidence in thesegroundbreaking partnerships.

          Representatives of the Union and the Chamber expressed their interest in developing their partnerships with IFPA whereby the members of both the Union and the Chamber will join as corporate members to receive IFPA’s services in export support and attracting Islamic investments from the 57 OIC markets. These agreements also provide for facilitation of participation of members in all IFPA’s activities and for a joint forum to be organised later in the year exclusively for the members of the Union and the Chamber.

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International Islamic Food Processing Association and Kazakhstan Oil and Fat Union sign a Memorandum of Understanding

          On June 21 2021, International Islamic Food Processing Association (“IFPA“) held a meeting with the representatives of Kazakhstan Oil and Fat Union (“Union“). During the latest meeting, the parties discussed in detail the prospects of cooperation and signed a mutual agreement to further advance bilateral cooperation. After the roundtable discussion, H.E. Sheikh Bilal Khan, Director General and CEO of IFPA, and Mr. Konstantin Nevzorov, President of Kazakhstan Oil and Fat Union signed a Memorandum of Understanding (“MoU”) for cooperation in oil and fat industry of Kazakhstan.

         This MoU reaffirms the trust the parties have in this partnership and defines the framework for future cooperation between the two entities. The agreement signifies each party’s advantage to support high-quality and sustainable development outcomes in one of the fastest growing and export-oriented industries of Kazakhstan with investments related to the use of Islamic finance, Shariah structuring, Sukuk listing and other Islamic investment products from the markets of the 57 Organization of Islamic Conference (“OIC”) countries.

          During the meeting Mr. Konstantin Nevzorov conducted a very informative and resourceful presentation about the activities of 25 leading enterprises of oil and fat industry, highlighting key facts of the Eurasian Economic Union (“EAEU”) technical regulations of distributing lands for oilseeds, providing detailed insights on value, volume and share of Kazakhstan’s oilseeds export by countries in 2020 as well as sharing investment projects. The President of the Union stated that “the Union will benefit from the expertise and access to markets of IFPA and will endeavour to work closely in developing a pragmatic and cooperative approach to solving the issues of the industry”. The Director General and CEO of IFPA remarked that “OIC markets have a huge appetite for value-added agri-food products of Kazakhstan and IFPA will work closely with the Union to develop the export potential of the oil and fat products, attract Islamic investments and assist the Union in tailoring the EAEU technical regulations for the OIC agri-food industry.”

          After the signing ceremony, the parties expressed their resolve and commitment to enhancingtheir level of cooperation with anticipated fruitful outcomes in new export markets of the OIC for the continued stability and sustainable development of the oil and fat enterprises under the Union’s umbrella.

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International Islamic Food Processing Association and the Union of Food Enterprises of Kazakhstan agree to develop their partnership

          On June 21 2021, International Islamic Food Processing Association (“IFPA”) held a meeting with the Executive Director of the Union of Food Enterprises of Kazakhstan (“Union”).

          The Union is a non-profit organization established in 1992 by the leading operators of the food industry market of Kazakhstan that unites over 50 food companies, research and educational institutions and project entities of food and agriculture sectors. The Union’s mandate includes promotion, protection, and enhancement of entrepreneurship and innovation within the food industry, advocating interests of domestic food producers, exporters and retailers, consulting and expert assistance in the implementation of food safety HACCP standards, and participating in policy regulation of the food sector are all the main missions outlined in the Charter of the Union.

          The Executive Director of the Union, Ms. Marina Sabralieva as a Member of the Board of the Almaty Technological University – one of the leading universities of Kazakhstan that trains specialists and scientists for the food industry, shared that “the Union in cooperation with a number of research institutions conduct training on the food safety management systems, food supply chain processes, registration of certificates, requirements to the standards of packaging and labelling, transport and logistics measures for food entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan. The growing industry is now in need of miscellaneous food-related endeavours to advance its infrastructure and export potential. However, the industry is facing trade barriers and tariff restrictions that create adverse effects for the export of the agri-food productions”, noted Ms. Marina Sabralieva. In her opinion the solution lies in the Union’s cooperation with IFPA to create a single export coordination platform for all market participants.

          The Director General and CEO of IFPA, H.E. Sheikh Bilal Khan noted that “IFPA is working to create a unique common platform for expanding cooperation between businesses and food companies and ensuring access to the markets of all OIC countries to increase the volume of mutual trade and food supplies and providing more options for finance, insurance and investments in agri-food projects. We see a huge potential for Kazakhstani private sector since it plays an important role in creating food security of the country”.

         The Director General and CEO of IFPA and the Executive Director of the Union expressed their mutual interests for closer cooperation and to jointly organize a special forum for the Union members. The parties resolved to sign an agreement very soon whereby the Association will join IFPA as a valuable honorary member.

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International Islamic Food Processing Association congratulates its Chair on being conferred with Honorary Professorship

     On June 21 2021, the Chair of the International Islamic Food Processing Association (“IFPA”) and the Director General of the Islamic Organization for Food Security (“IOFS”), H.E. Yerlan A. Baidaulet was awarded the title of Honorary Professor of the Kazakh National Agrarian Research University.  The outstanding ceremony took place at the University’s main offices during the working visit of the IOFS Director General to key entities of the JSC NASEC located in the city of Almaty in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

          Upon the University Senate’s decision, the First Deputy Chairman of the Board, Mr. Kanat Tireuov presented the Director General of IOFS the diploma, medal and mantle of the Honorary Professorship and noted the active and fruitful cooperation between the IOFS and the University.

          After the solemn presentation of the mantle, the Director General of IOFS H.E. Yerlan A. Baidaulet thanked the University for the respect shown, noting that “it is a great honor for him and a sign of recognition for the entire team of the IOFS Secretariat”.

     The Director General and CEO of IFPA, H.E. Sheikh Bilal Khan remarked that “the entire family of IFPA and indeed the IOFS are immensely proud of this great accolade and we congratulate our Chair and the Director General of IOFS for a well-deserved recognition. It is a great reward for all the hard work done by the IOFS and its subsidiary IFPA under the leadership of the Director General of IOFS. We are looking forward to celebrating this achievement and continuing the upward trajectory of our result-oriented services for intra-OIC agri-food sector trade and investment development”.

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International IFPA holds a one-to-one meeting with Kazakhstan Association of Sugar, Food and Processing Industry

    On June 17 2021, International Islamic Food Processing Association (“IFPA”) held a one-to-one meeting with the Chairman of the Association of Sugar, Food and Processing Industry (“Association”).
 
      The Association is a non-profit organization established in 2012 by the leading white sugar producers of Kazakhstan. In 2017 the Association was re-registered to expand its existing members by attracting the agro-industrial sector, fruit producers and processors of vegetables.
 
       According to the Chairman of the Association, Aizhan Nauryzgaliyeva, “the Association has constantly expanded its pursuit for wider representation by becoming a member of the Expert Council of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan”. She added that “representatives of the Association are also members of the Scientific and Technical Council of the Ministry of Agriculture where the Association participates in joint projects to develop and examine technical programs and standards required in the food trade and industry.” H.E. Sheikh Bilal Khan stated that “today’s meeting with the Chairman of the Association was extremely important for us, as it helps us to identify and explore key opportunity and growth areas for trade exports and inward investments related to this food sub-sector. Joining IFPA will be vital for the incoming members from the Association as it will give them the opportunity to diversify their portfolio of assets with Islamic investments and also to target key OIC markets for export growth”.
 
   The Director General and CEO of IFPA and the Chairman of the Association expressed their willingness for closer cooperation and to jointly organise a special forum for the members.The parties resolved to sign a mutual agreement whereby the Association will join IFPA as a valuable honorary member and further boost IFPA’s impressive growing network of food associations and unions.