Swiss company to invest in caviar production in Kazakhstan

The investment company Swiss Choice Holding has announced its intention to invest in an aquaculture project on the Caspian Sea coast, Kazakhstan, which will produce between 100 and 600 tons of sturgeon and 100 tons of caviar annually, according to the regional administration's press service.

The project's details were revealed after a meeting between company representatives and the Governor of the Mangystau Region, Nurdaulet Kilybai. It will have an estimated budget of approximately 10.869 million euros and is expected to create 30 new jobs.

On one hand, the company will supply products to the domestic market and export them abroad. Furthermore, the fish farm, which will produce 100 tons of fish in the first phase, has been allocated 56 hectares in the Tupkaragan district.

The future of caviar

According to a study by a German-led expert team of biologists specializing in sturgeon, half of the commercial caviar products they sampled contained illegal caviar and some of them contained no trace of sturgeon.

Legal caviar can only be produced through aquaculture, while a strict international labeling system exists for all caviar products to prevent illegal trade.

For example, the Caviar d'Aquitaine association, which was established 30 years ago by four caviar producers in the region of Aquitaine in southwestern France, worked with BioMar to integrate the Blue Impact feed into their farming practices. 

Biomar's Blue Impact feed reduces reliance on limited marine resources and uses circular and restorative raw materials. Also, it aims to lower the carbon footprint associated with feed production, addressing a significant environmental challenge in aquaculture.