In a report released at a news conference in Dushanbe, the Minister of Economic Development and Trade Zavqi Zavqizoda noted on February 14 that only 62,000 tons of primary aluminum were produced in Tajikistan las year, which is 2.5 percent more compared to 2021.
According to him, Tajikistan last year exported 51,000 tons of primary aluminum worth 140 million U.S. dollars.
In value terms, it is 3.6 percent more compared to the previous year, Zavqizoda noted.
The minister further added that specialists had forecasted that in 2022, primary aluminum production would stand at 80,000 tons and primary aluminum exports would stand at 50,000 tons.
The Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) is one of the ten largest aluminum smelters in the world and the only aluminum producing plant in Central Asia. TALCO is wholly owned by the Tajik government. Tajikistan does not mine alumina but imports the raw material through tolling arrangements.
Construction of the Tajik aluminum plant (TadAZ) began in 1972, and the first pouring of aluminum took place on March 31, 1975. The Tajik aluminum smelter has a rated capacity of 517,000 tons of primary aluminum per year.
On April 3, 2007, TadAZ was officially renamed to TALCO – Tajik Aluminum Company.
The primary aluminum production fell from 420,000 tons in 2007 to 103,000 tons in 2017.
In 2018, Tajikistan produced 95,000 tons of primary aluminum.
In 2019, Tajikistan produced 100,800 tons of primary aluminum almost halved.
In 2020-2021, primary aluminum production in Tajikistan almost halved
In 2022, the share of primary aluminum in Tajikistan exports reportedly amounted to 6.5 percent.