DUSHANBE, January 17, Asia-Plus – In 2006, Tajikistan imported 380,000 tons of oil products for $19.4 million, which is 71,000 tons more than in 2005, according to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT).
A source at a MoEDT said that the totaled included 178,200 tons of gasoline and 90,600 tons of diesel fuel.
The MoEDT source noted that purchase prices of diesel fuel rose from $421 per ton in 2005 to $542 in 2006, and an average purchase price of one ton of gasoline rose from $409 to $459 respectively.
Expert noted that in the Soviet time, more than 2 million tons of oil products had annually been delivered to Tajikistan, while at present Tajikistan annually imports not more than 400,000 tons of oil products.
Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Energy and Industry, Tajikistan last year produced 22,367 tons of oil (the target had been determined at 23,600 tons), which 749 tons more than in 2005. Oil produced in Tajikistan last year was used not only for domestic needs but also for export. Last year, 6,000 tons of Tajik oil were exported to neighboring Kyrgyzstan, according to the source.
Experts from the MoEDT noted gasoline prices remained stable at the end of last year. Today, the price of one liter of 96-octane gasoline in Dushanbe was 2.30 somonis and the price of 95-octane gasoline was 2.20 somonis.
Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan provided the bulk of Tajikistan’s fuel imports last year. Kazakhstan accounted for 40.7 percent of Tajikistan’s fuel imports, Russia for 23.4 percent and Turkmenistan for 15.3 percent.
