Over the past two days, the price for one liter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in Dushanbe has risen from 6.20 somonis on November 1 to 7.20 somonis on November 3 (16.13-percent increase), with similar price rises in other parts of the country.
In Bokhtar and Kulob cities (Khatlon province), the price of one liter of LNG has risen from 6.30 somonis to 8.00 somonis (almost 27-percent increase).
In Khujand, the capital of the northern Sughd province, the price of one liter of LNG has risen from 6.00 somonis on November 1 to 6.50 percent somonis on November 3 (8.33-percent increase).
Since more than 60 percent of the country's motor vehicles use liquefied natural gas as fuel, a sudden spike in LNG prices has led to increase in the cost of private passenger and freight transport.
Thus, the cost of a travel from the regions to Dushanbe by private taxi cars has risen 10%-15%.
The travel by private shared taxi car from Panjakent has increased from 150 somonis per person to 170 somonis per person, and from Tursunzoda to Dushanbe from 25 somonis per person to 30 somonis per person.
As far as buses and fixed-route minibuses of the state-run transport companies are concerned, their fares have not gone up yet.
Meanwhile, drivers say there is not only a rise in prices for LNG, but also a shortage of it at many fueling stations, especially in Khatlon province and districts subordinate to the center. For example, in some districts, fueling stations now sell no more than 20 liters of LNG per driver so that there is enough LNG for everyone who is standing in line.
Employees of fueling stations attribute LNG price hike to volumes of purchases and deliveries of it to the country. However, they could not give specific figures on volumes.
Kazakhstan provides the bulk of Tajikistan’s LNG imports, accounting for about 90 percent of Tajikistan’s LNG imports.
