The Dushanbe-based clothing factory Gulistoni Dushanbe (formerly Guliston) has been reintroduced into operation after a large-scale modernization.
An official opening ceremony of the enterprise that took place on October 31 was attended President Emomali Rahmon and Dushanbe Mayor Rustam Emomali.
The Tajik president’s official website says modern equipment for this factory has been brought from various countries, including Japan, the united States, Italy, China, the United Kingdom, Russia and Turkiye.
The enterprise, in particular received the device for laser engraving on fabric, scanner for measuring clothing sizes and much more. This reportedly allows performing all garment production operations automatically.
Three modern production lines have been installed at the Gulistoni Dushanbe factory and it is now capable to produce up to two million units of special work clothes, trousers, suits, school clothes, sportswear, shirts and bedding, totaling more than 250 different items, per year.
In case of increased demand, the enterprise has the opportunity to significantly increase production.
After the modernization, the factory has reportedly created 470 jobs, while if it operates in three shifts, the number of jobs will be increased to 1,200.
The Tajik president’s official website did not say whom this clothing factory now belongs to.
Recall, Tajik authorities noted in early April 2019 that they have failed to sell the Dushanbe-based Closed Joint-Stock Company (CJSC) Guliston (clothing factory) for already third year. Although the starting price of the enterprise was brought down, there were no buyers.
CJSC Guliston was put on auction again in December 2018.
According to the State Committee on Investments and State-owned Property Management (GosKomInvest), a full package of shares totaling 242,000 shares was put on auction as one lot on December 18, 2018 and the initial price was set at 24.220 million somoni (equivalent to some 2.6 million U.S. dollars at the exchange rate for that period).
The factory had already been put on auction twice – in September 216 and January 2017, and the initial price had been set at 32 million somoni (equivalent to more than 4 million U.S. dollars). However, potential buyers had not shown interest in the factory.
Dushanbe’s Economic Court invalidated privatization of the Guliston clothing factory on April 2, 2014 on the basis of a suit filed by the anticorruption agency.
The court ruled that the enterprise must be handed over to the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies.
The clothing factory was privatized in 2002, when jailed Tajik tycoon Zayd Saidov was Minister of Industry of Tajikistan and, according to the anticorruption agency, Zayd Saidov allegedly promoted illegal privatization of the enterprise using his official status
Ukrainian billionaire Dmitry V. Firtash assumed the 95% ownership interest and Zayd Saidov’s son, Khairullo Saidov, owned 5 percent of shares in this enterprise.
