DUSHANBE, October 17, 2013, Asia-Plus – Over the first nine months of this year, two free economic zones (FEZs) of Tajikistan – Sughd and Danghara – have produced some 30 million somoni (equivalent to some 630,000 USD) worth of output, according to the Agency for Statistics under the President of Tajikistan.
Over the report period, nine corporate residents of FEZ Sughd have produced more than 29.4 million somoni worth of goods and one corporate resident of FEZ Danghara, U&F Service, has produced more than 265,000 somoni worth of goods.
FEZ Sughd is located in Sughd province in the territory of the south-west industrial zone of the city of Khujand. Sughd FEZ was established in 2008 by a parliamentary decree on 320 hectares of land for 25 years and began operating in August 2009. To-date, Administration of FEZ Sughd has registered 18 corporate residents, including 11 domestic enterprises and 7 joint ventures.
Located in the Danghara district Khatlon province, FEZ Danghara now has two corporate residents.
FEZ Panj, which is located in the Qumsangir district, Khatlon province, has six corporate residents, but they have not produced goods this year so far.
FEZ Ishkashim was established on 62 hectares of land in the Ishkashim district of the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), not far from the district’s administrative center and active marketplace for cross-border trade between Tajikistan and Afghanistan.
In the early 2000s, foreign direct investment has remained low because of political and economic instability, the poor domestic financial system, and Tajikistan’s geographic isolation. To attract foreign investment and technology, Tajikistan has offered to establish free economic zones in which firms receive advantages on taxes, fees, and customs. In 2004, the parliament passed a law on free economic zones. The zones reportedly offer customs and tax incentives to qualified investors that invest at least 500,000 USD and import at least 90% of the technology and equipment.
