Throughout the past year and a half, individuals, organisations, and businesses around the world have stepped up to help those worst hit by the pandemic. At the conclusion of one our latest initiatives, I’m proud to say that Kusto Group has also played its part, through our charitable foundation, Kusto Help. Last week we concluded a month-long campaign to help ten regional hospitals in Ukraine, and we were able to provide $135,000 in support. The donations ranged from ventilators, to electrocardiographs, defibrillators, and PPE.

2020 has been a challenging year for many businesses and families around the world. It has also been a year of adaptation and even innovation. As a result of coronavirus, major trade expos – events that Kusto Group often attends – have become more difficult, but not impossible to attend.

To a time-traveller from half a century ago, the agricultural industry of today would look like something from a science fiction movie

There are new, promising signs for Kazakhstan’s agricultural sector according to a recent report by fDi Magazine, a specialist, foreign investment focused part of the Financial Times – and Kusto Group has been noted as a key player in attracting overseas investment, contributing to the sector’s development and bright prospects.

Last month, I was honoured to receive ‘The Leader of Ukraine’ medal and ‘Best Enterprise of Ukraine’ diploma on behalf of Kusto Agro. This was for ‘significant contribution to the socio-economic development of Ukraine’.

Ever since we founded KazBeef, we have made no secret of our ambitions to make Kazakhstan a world-leading exporter of beef products

Ukraine, with its fertile lands and rich agricultural potential, has long been a target for significant growth in Kusto Agro’s operations

Last week, the Kazbeef team at our Schuchinsk site welcomed the U.S Ambassador to Kazakhstan, H.E. William H. Moser.

Kusto Agro’s Ukraine operations relies on fitting a huge number of pieces together in a large puzzle, many of which are hidden from view

At Kusto Group we’re always delighted to see our companies finding new areas of growth. Just look at Veltse Ltd., part of our Kusto Agro division, which has just begun work on a dairy farm in Ukraine.

With this year’s AgroWorld Kazakhstan coming to an end today, I was pleased to see Kusto Group’s vertically integrated beef producer, KazBeef, in pride of place on Wednesday at the Agri-Food Forum in Almaty, where it hosted the round table, «Meat animal husbandry: industry prospects in Kazakhstan».