DUSHANBE, January 11, Asia-Plus – In 2006, Tajikistan exported 408,009 tons of primary aluminum for a total amount of $ 1.0495 billion.
According to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT), compared to 2005 Tajik aluminum exports last year increased by 33,600 tons and a total amount received from the aluminum exports increased by $486.5 million as an average price of one ton of primary aluminum has risen.
A source at a MoEDT said that compared to 2005 an average annual price of one ton of aluminum rose by $1,067 and amounted to $2,567 last year.
“Last year, the main trading partners to Tajik aluminum remained the Netherlands, Turkey, Iran and China,” the source said.
According to the Ministry of Energy and Industry (MoEI), the Tajik Aluminum Plant (TadAZ) last year imported 839,800 tons of alumina for $386.7 million. “In 2005, the plant purchased 798,700 tons of alumina for $361.8 million,” the MoEI source said.
The aluminum industry is Tajikistan’s main source of industrial income and industrial exports. According to experts, some 50 percent of the country’s budget is formed due to sale of aluminum. The rated capacity of TadAZ is 517,000 tons of aluminum per year.
