PepsiCo to double its investment in new Lay’s chips plant in Kazakhstan

PepsiCo has decided to double its investment in the construction of a Lay’s chips plant in the Almaty region, according to a statement from the press service of Kazakhstan’s government. The announcement follows Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov’s meeting with David Manzini, president of Russia and the CIS at PepsiCo, which is building its largest plant in Central Asia.

In June 2024, PepsiCo announced its initial plan to allocate $160 million to the project. Now, the company intends to nearly double this investment to increase potato processing capacity threefold — from 70,000 to 210,000 tons — yielding approximately 70,000 tons of ready-to-use product.

The plant is expected to create 900 jobs, with the first batch of products scheduled for production in March 2026. By September 2027, the facility is anticipated to reach full operational capacity.

The enterprise will source potatoes from local farmers. Furthermore, PepsiCo aims to achieve full localization in cultivating special potato varieties best suited for chips by 2035. Currently, 15 farms across the Pavlodar, Akmola, Karaganda, Almaty and Zhetysu regions are participating in the program.

Following his meeting with Manzini, the prime minister instructed the Foreign Ministry to draft an investment agreement between the government of Kazakhstan and PepsiCo. Additionally, the Ministry of Agriculture has been tasked with amending subsidy regulations to offset part of farmers’ investments and create the most favorable conditions for investors. Both ministries are expected to complete these tasks within two weeks.

Although PepsiCo has a presence in Kazakhstan, the popular Pepsi drink is produced by the Kazakhstani company RG Brands, owned by Kairat Mazhibayev.