Farm Frites still gets fries from Russians via detour

After the construction of a chips factory in Russia failed due to the boycott of banks by the European Union, Farm Frites is now investigating the possibilities in neighboring Kazakhstan. A spokesperson confirmed this on Monday.

Last week, a delegation from Farm Frites was in Kazakhstan to discuss the possibility of growing new seed potato varieties in the Euro-Asian country. If the cultivation of French fries potatoes goes well, Farm Frites wants to set up a factory there. According to The Times of Central Asia the factory is to be located in the Northeast and produce 140.000 tons of chips annually.

Some of the frozen chips are destined for neighboring Russia. Farm Frites spent about five years there to get a factory off the ground, but due to the boycott that the European Union instituted in July 2014, the Dutch processor had to drop out. Now the potato processor has Kazakhstan in mind; it is a CIS country and is in a customs union with Russia which makes exporting easier.

Deputy Prime Minister and Agriculture Minister Askar Myrzakhmetov was so enthusiastic about the talks that he shared it on Facebook and it has been televised. However, it is assumed that the factory will be built, while it is still a study for Farm Frites and it remains to be seen how the cultivation actually turns out, the spokesperson notes.

To do this, the new varieties must first be imported. 'We're working on that now. Only when the new varieties can be grown in Kazakhstan, and you have to start growing potatoes in time, are negotiations about a possible factory and the conditions.' Yet he is also enthusiastic. 'Kazakhstan is a country the size of Europe and has 19 million inhabitants.'

On the same day, the Kazakhs spoke by telephone with Prime Minister Mark Rutte about bilateral trade and economic relations. The Netherlands is one of the top investors and one of Kazakhstan's largest trading partners in the EU.

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