DUSHANBE, January 11, 2014, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan reportedly reduced wheat imports in 2013.
According to data if the State Unitary Enterprise (SUE) Ghalla (grain products), Tajikistan imported 640,206 tons of wheat last year, which is nearly 15 percent fewer than in 2012.
Wheat flour imports reportedly reduced from 345,300 tons in 2012 to 232,300 in 2013.
Meanwhile, Tajik grain growers produced 1.0842 million tons of grains last year, which is 16.4 percent more than in 2012.
Last year, Tajik farmers produced 1.1581 million tons of wheat flour, which is 3 percent fewer than in 2012, an official source at Ghalla said.
Over the last two months of 2013, the average price for a 50-kilogram sack of domestic first grade wheat flour in Dushanbe’s markets was 129.00 somoni and the average price for a 50-kilgoram sack of Kazakh produced first grade wheat in Dushanbe’s markets was 135.00 somoni.
In December, wheat flour was reportedly imported to Tajikistan for the average price of 240-250 U.S. dollars per ton.
Kazakhstan provided the bulk of Tajikistan wheat and flour imports (90 percent) last year.
Meanwhile, the monthly report for December 2013, Monitoring and Early Warning in Tajikistan, notes that from January to October 2013, 501,700 tons of grain, for the average price of 333 USD per ton, and 178,200 tons wheat, for the average price of 429 USD per ton, were imported to the country. This is 16.7% less grain and 38.5% less wheat flour when compared to the same period of 2012.
