DUSHANBE, November 29, Asia-Plus – The Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT) Tuesday held a meeting to discuss a sudden spike in gasoline price in the country. Representatives from companies dealing with oil product supply also attended the meeting.
Toshpoulod Rabiyev, the head of the MoEDT antimonopoly directorate told Asia-Plus that during the meeting it had been noted that price hike had resulted from delay in delivery of gasoline to the country, in particular from the Russian Federation, which provides the bulk of Tajikistan’s fuel imports. According to him, Russia accounts for some 70 percent of Tajik fuel imports.
456,200 tons of gasoline for a total amount of $235.6 million have been delivered to Tajikistan since the beginning of this year alone.
Rabiyev noted that representatives from Gazprom Neft — Tajikistan (subsidiary of Russia’s state-controlled gas company Gazprom) had assured the ministry administration that train cars with gasoline will be arriving in Tajikistan beginning from November 29. “The Russian company promises to meet some 30 percent of Tajikistan’s requirements in fuel and gasoline prices at refuel stations will not exceed 3.5 somonis per liter,” the antimonopoly directorate chief said.
Besides, 15 train cars with Russian gasoline, which already en route Tajikistan, are expected to arrive in Tajikistan next week. This supply is carried out by Tajik private company Titan.
Today, Tajikistan’s largest fuel suppliers are limited liability company Umed, which has supplied more than 88,000 tons of oil products over the first ten months of this year, Gazprom Neft – Tajikistan (21,300 tons over the report period), limited liability company Zuhro (13,700 tons), Titan (11,300 tons), and closed joint-stock company (CJSC) Khonaqo Nefteprodukt (6,100 tons).
In the meantime, the MoEDT said that a special commission, comprising specialists from the MoEDT, had assumed control of regulating gasoline prices in the country.
We will recall that last weekends the price of gasoline in Dushanbe, which had averaged 3.3 a liter, Tuesday rose to 4 somonis. The price of one liter of a 96-octane gasoline was 4.5 somonis in Dushanbe. On Wednesday, the price of one liter of a 96-octane gasoline came down to 4.1-4.2 somonis.
