Twelve business leaders and one government representative from Kazakhstan will be visiting Kansas businesses June 5-13 as part of the Kazakhstan Business Connections (KBC) Bakery Business Development Tour hosted by the Citizens Network for Foreign Affairs (CNFA) and the International Grains Program (IGP). IGP is partnering with the Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) and Kansas State University (K-State) to provide industry and business knowledge to Kazakh businessmen and women.

Kansas is a recognized leader for baking and milling, and KDA is committed to helping the agricultural sector grow through increased international trade options for Kansas products. With the success of last fall’s Kazakh agricultural trade mission to Kansas, Kazakh businesses have expressed interest in continuing to partner with Kansas industries and businesses. KDA worked with IGP to arrange business and industry tours for this visit. The department will also host a tour at the KDA office for a Kansas marketing and trade overview.

“As we look to continually grow the Kansas agriculture economy, it is imperative we look to partnering with countries around the world,” said Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Dale Rodman. “We were happy to host the Kazakh group last fall and are pleased to continue to pursue partnerships with their baking and flour industries.”

During their time in Kansas, the KBC Bakery Tour will travel to the Kansas City, Kansas, area to visit Great Western Manufacturing, ADM Milling, Rabbit Creek Products, Hilary’s Eat Well and Kansas Grain Inspection Service. In addition to industry visits, KBC tour participants will also be on K-State’s campus for some hands-on experience in the bakery labs learning about different baking techniques as well as classroom learning on small business development techniques.

“KDA strives to retain and serve agribusinesses in Kansas as well as expand the Kansas agriculture industry,” said KDA Agribusiness Coordinator Chad Bontrager. “We were happy to work with CNFA and IGP to continue growing the relationship between the agricultural sectors in Kansas and Kazakhstan.”

In addition to spending time in Kansas, the group will also visit agribusinesses and industry groups in Florida, Illinois and Washington, D.C., learning about the baking and milling sectors. The goal of the KBC Bakery Tour is to build capacity and competitiveness of Kazakh small- and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) through training in modern practices in the U.S. bakery and flour industries. The tour will also help expose the Kazakh business leaders to common business practices in the United States and facilitate business connections between Kazakh SMEs and bakery operations in the United States through the month of June