KHUJAND, July 9, Asia-Plus — A group specialists from the Ministry of Energy and Industries (MoEI) arrived in Khujand, Sughd province yesterday to get acquainted with a progress of rehabilitation of the local satin-producing enterprise, limited liability company Atlasi Khujand, Ms. Gulchehra Sanginova, the chairperson of the light industry department within a MoEI, said I an interview with Asia-Plus.
According to her, the enterprise is currently taking efforts to increase the volume of the production of satin but taxation problems, lack of raw materials and competition are impeding progress.
She noted that in the Soviet time, Atlasi Khujand had produced up to 2 million linear meters of satin per year. “Over the first six months of this year, the enterprise has produced 41,000 linear meters of sating, which is more than eight times more than in the same period of 2007,” said Sanginova. “We plan to produce another 15,000 meters this year before introduction of electricity rationing.”
According to the Atlasi Khujand director general Azim Ghafourov, one the main problems facing the enterprise is shortage of cheap raw materials. The Khujand-based joint venture VT-Silk realizes floss thread at world prices.
“If we purchase expensive raw materials, we will not be able to realize our product under conditions of increasing competition,” said Ghafourov. “Uzbek satin is being imported into the Sughd province illegally, and therefore it is more demanded here due to lower prices. We have to process customer-owned raw materials.” It is necessary to adopt the law protecting domestic producers, the director general noted.
“However, the enterprise does not have any debt, wage or public service debts despite all these problems,” Gahfourov said, noting that they plan to build a cocoon-winding factory and launch a joint venture with Chineses in the near future.
According to him, 50 persons currently work with Atlasi Khujand and an average monthly wage is 185 somonis.
