Desmet contributes to Belgian economic delegation during Their Majesties’ state visit to Kazakhstan
Desmet was proud to be part of the Belgian business delegation accompanying Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium during their state visit to Kazakhstan.
As part of the programme, Desmet and its President, Olivier Hanne, were invited to present and participate in the panel discussion “Harvesting Value: Belgian Technologies for a Competitive and Sustainable Agri-Food Sector.” The discussion took place during the fourth meeting of the Kazakh Belgian Business Council in Astana and focused on the role of technology, innovation and international cooperation in strengthening agrifood value chains.
The Business Council brought together Belgian and Kazakhstani companies, government representatives and industry leaders to explore opportunities for closer cooperation across a range of strategic sectors. Discussions highlighted the importance of technology transfer, local processing and sustainable solutions for the future of food production.
MoU with Atameken-Agro
During the Business Council, Desmet and Atameken-Agro signed a Memorandum of Understanding covering the engineering and equipment supply for an edible oil refinery complex in Kazakhstan.
The agreement was signed by Olivier Hanne, President of Desmet, and Kintal Islamov, Chairman of the Board of Atameken-Agro.
The future project includes engineering and equipment for a fully automated edible oil refinery. The project aims to bring more processing stages to Kazakhstan, creating greater local value and supporting the development of a modern, competitive agrifood sector.
The cooperation reflects Atameken-Agro’s ambition to contribute further to Kazakhstan’s agricultural and food-processing industries, as well as Desmet’s expertise in designing and delivering advanced solutions for oilseed processing and edible oil refining.
“Partnerships such as this demonstrate the importance of combining local market knowledge with international process expertise,” said Olivier Hanne, President of Desmet. “Together with Atameken-Agro, we look forward to contributing to the development of a modern and competitive oilseed processing industry in Kazakhstan.”
From partnership to implementation
The MoU provides a framework for continued cooperation between Desmet and Atameken-Agro as the project progresses towards its next stages. The partners will work together to define the engineering scope and equipment requirements for the processing complex.
The Desmet–Atameken-Agro agreement was one of 17 agreements and memoranda of understanding signed between Belgian and Kazakhstani organizations during the Business Council.
For Desmet, being part of the Belgian business delegation during the state visit of Their Majesties King Philippe and Queen Mathilde of Belgium was a great honour and a valuable opportunity to strengthen ties between Belgium and Kazakhstan. Desmet greatly appreciates the opportunity to contribute to this high-level programme, engage with key stakeholders and support customers with integrated, reliable and efficient solutions for oilseed, oils and fats processing across Central Asia.
