According to official statistical data, Tajikistan imports up to 40,000 tons of petroleum products per month. In meeting its requirements in fuels, Tajikistan depends almost entirely on external markets. Russia provides the bulk of Tajikistan’s oil product imports – 87 percent of the overall volume of oil products imported into the country over the first six months of this year.
Recall, Tajikistan was exempted from paying Russian tariffs on oil and gas exports from 1995-2010 and Russia cancelled Tajikistan’s tax exemption on May 1, 2010 that resulted in gasoline prices rising in the country.
On February 5, 2013, Tajikistan and Russian signed a government-to-government agreement on duty-free Russian oil product deliveries to Tajikistan. Under this agreement, the sides consider and endorse the indicative fuel balance for the next calendar before October 1 of each year. Fuels delivered in addition to the indicative fuel balance will be liable to export duty.
Russian oil products delivered to Tajikistan in the volumes not exceeding those agreed on indicative balance are not subject to re-export to the third countries.
According to data from the Antimonopoly Agency under the Government of Tajikistan three economic entities, namely limited liability companies Gazpromneft-Tajikistan and Seganja as well as the Agency for State Material Reserves under the Government of Tajikistan now dominate the country’s fuel market.
They have reportedly accounted in total to 88 percent of the overall volume of oil products delivered to Tajikistan over the first six months of this year; Gazpromneft-Tajikistan has accounted for 41 percent, Seganja has accounted to 37 percent and the Agency for State Material Reserves has accounted for 10 percent.
The remaining 12 percent have been delivered to the country in insignificant amounts by more than 100 other suppliers.
Over the first six months of this year, Tajikistan has reportedly imported more than 239,000 tons of petroleum products.
Of this amount, 98,000 tons of petroleum products have been delivered to the country by more than 239,000 tons of petroleum products. Seganja has delivered more than 88,000 tons of petroleum products to Tajikistan over the same six-month period and the Agency for State Material Reserves has delivered about 24,000 tons of petroleum products to the country over the report period.
The other relatively small companies have delivered totaling little more than 24,000 tons of petroleum products to Tajikistan in January-June this year.
The Antimonopoly Agency says activities of companies, which are on the register of companies having dominant position on the country’s fuel market, are under its permanent control.
