DUSHANBE, April 18, Asia-Plus — Setback in the industrial production is continuing in Tajikistan this year as well, Nazarali Khonaliyev, the head of the industry department of the Institute for Economic Studies within the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT), said.
According to him, a decline in production of industrial goods over the first three months of this year has resulted from extreme winter weather and severe electricity shortages.
Mr. Khonaliyev noted that most industrial enterprises in the regions have stood idle over the report period.
He said that noted industrial downswing started in Tajikistan in 1991 already; after collapse of the Soviet Union, hundreds of large industrial enterprises in the country stopped operating because of lack of circulating assets.
“Thus, enterprises of the mechanical engineering sector that accounted for 10 percent of the total volume of industrial goods produced in the country in 1990 have failed to reestablish supply of metals and components,” said the researcher. “Today, enterprises of the mechanical engineering sector account for only 1.5 percent of the total volume of industrial goods manufactured in the country.
“Of 2,474 industrial enterprises that were operational in Tajikistan in 1990 only 1,094 remained in 2007,” said Mr. Khonaliyev. “In 1990, 220,000 people were employed in the industrial sector of Tajikistan that had the population of 5.2 million that time, while at present, when Tajikistan has the population of 7.1 million, only 90,000 people are employed in the industrial sector.”
On prospects of development of the country’s industrial sector, Mr. Khonaliyev noted only if there are large industrial enterprises such as corporations, concerns, and companies that will be able to determine the country’s industrial policy both at regional and international level one can speak about acceleration of development of the industrial sector in the country.
He also named availability of skilled personnel, reduction of corruption in the industrial sector, and promotion of developing small and medium enterprises (SMEs) dealing with production of consumer goods as factors that could contribute to development of the country’s industry.
