The young republic of Kazakhstan, formerly part of Soviet Russia, is taking its place in the world market. It’s one-third the size of the US and rich in natural resources, including oil, minerals, and wood products.
We were in Ust-Kamenogorsk recently, a city in the eastern region of Kazakhstan, as volunteers for the IESC on a project for the production, quality control and marketing of essential oils and other products from the Melissa Co.
As a major producer of wood logs and lumber from fir, pine, birch and poplar, the company’s general director, Alexander Vorobiyov, has a growing interest in valuedadded products and by-products from these same natural resources. As the export of fir and pine logs to China and other countries grows, so does the capacity for the production of pine needle oil (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Siberian fir needle oil (Abies Sibirica L.).
