DUSHANBE, November 27, 2012, Asia-Plus — Over the first ten months of this year, Tajikistan’s aluminum exports have fallen to 221,500 tons, which is 12,300 tons fewer than in the same period last year, according to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT).
The source at a MEDT says the country’s aluminum exports have declined due to the fall in the international aluminum prices.
The international price of one ton of primary aluminum has reportedly fallen from 2,688 USD to 2,025 that has seriously affected the export value – 448.5 million USD against 629.2 million USD in January-October 2011.
“This year, Tajikistan Aluminum Company (TALCO) is expected to produce 387,600 tons of aluminum,” said the source. “Last year, Tajik aluminum smelter produced 349,000 tons of primary aluminum.”
Meanwhile, Reuters quoted a source close to TALCO as saying that Tajikistan, central Asia”s biggest producer of primary aluminum, is likely to cut output to just over 270,000 tons this year from 277,584 tons in 2011.
The state-owned aluminum smelter reportedly reduced output by 0.3 percent year-on-year in January-October to 230,772 tons after two consecutive months of growth.
In September, TALCO cut its production forecast for the year by 15 percent to 281,000 tons due to a smelter overhaul and a brief stoppage of gas supplies from neighboring Uzbekistan, the source noted.
“The official forecast (for 2012) remains the same, but in fact TALCO is set this year to produce just slightly more than 270,000 tons,” the source told Reuters.
“We probably won”t achieve this (earlier) target, because serious problems have emerged due to technological faults in a number of electrolytic pots, which has led to a certain decline in output.”
The smelter”s output reportedly declined by more than a fifth to 277,584 tons in 2011.
Tajikistan relies heavily on the smelter”s earnings. Official data show aluminum accounted for around 57 percent of all Tajik hard currency export revenue in January-October of 2012.
The aluminum plant, run by the Tajik Aluminum Company (Talco), was launched in late March 1975. It is one of the ten largest aluminum smelters in the world and provides up to 70% of the country’s foreign currency earnings, consuming 40% of the country’s electrical power. Tajikistan does not mine alumina but imports the raw material through tolling arrangements.
