Netherlands’ giant can start producing chips in Uzbekistan
By Abdul Kerimkhanov
The popularity of potatoes and the prospects for its processing in Uzbekistan was discussed at a meeting in Utrecht (Netherlands) of representatives of the Uzbek embassy in the Benelux countries and the Netherlands' company Kiremko.
Founded in 1965, Kiremko company is one of the leaders in potato processing in the world. It develops, manufactures and installs equipment for the production of mashed potatoes, french fries and chips, as well as vacuum-packed potatoes with the possibility of different cutting options and consumption period.
Kiremko also provides project management services, including the establishment of production lines, and assists in providing engineering and technological support to joint ventures abroad. The company has joint ventures in Russia, India and China.
During the negotiations, the Dutch side was presented information on the work being carried out in Uzbekistan to attract modern technologies to the agro-industrial sector, modernize production processes, and expand export-oriented products.
The management of the Dutch company expressed its readiness to establish contacts with the Association of Uzbek Potato Producers and to consider the possibility of organizing training sessions on the production and storage of seed potatoes for representatives of the association.
The parties also discussed the prospects of creating a joint production for processing potatoes in Uzbekistan.
“For the first time, I had a chance to visit Uzbekistan a year and a half ago. I had very good impressions about the country, its investment potential and the created business climate, and there were prospects for cooperation with Uzbek partners. We plan to work more actively with potato producers in Uzbekistan so that in the future we can implement a project to create a potato processing plant in the country and establish a line for the production of french fries and chips,” said the regional sales manager of Kiremko Twan van den Berg.
The 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Uzbekistan and the Netherlands, which have always developed on the basis of mutually beneficial cooperation and mutual respect, has been marked in 2017. The Netherlands attaches great importance to cooperation with Uzbekistan within the EU.
The Netherlands is the second largest exporter of agri-food products in the world. The agricultural sector has a high level of mechanization. In agriculture, only 2 percent of the working population is employed, but the sector produces significant surplus value, both for the food sector and for export.
The Netherlands is the 20th largest economy in the world and the fifth largest economy in the Eurozone.
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Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94
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