DUSHANBE, April 17, Asia-Plus — This year, Tajikistan intends to import 700,000 tons of wheat and flour, the Customs Service chief Gurez Zaripov announced at a press conference in Dushanbe on April 17.
He added that totaling 200,000 tons of wheat and flour has been delivered to the country over the first quarter of the year, which 26,000 tons fewer than in the same period of 2007. He linked decrease in grain and flour imports to the fact that the country has had grain stocks for the report period.
“Kazakhstan, which provides the bulk of Tajikistan’s grain imports, has accounted for 98 percent of the country’s grain imports,” said the customs service chief. “However, officials in Kazakhstan have announced a four-month ban on wheat exports, but I hope this issue will be solved soon at the governmental level.”
According to him, they are currently also considering the issue of importing wheat from China and Australia via Pakistan and Afghanistan.
He reminded that to promote delivery of wheat and flour to the country the government had lowered customs duties on grain imports by 10 percent. Moreover, 200,000 tons of grains will be delivered to the country this year without payment of customs of duties, Zaripov said.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Tajikistan’s annual requirements in heat and flour are more than one million tons.
