Tajik Minister of Economic Development and Trade Negmatullo Hikmatullozoda told a local news agency on Tuesday that his country is expecting to produce 179 thousand metric tons of aluminium, an increase over 2016’s total of 129.3 thousand metric tons.
The minister emphasized that the plan is only preliminary at this juncture, the number hinging upon aluminium price and global demand for the metal. He said that globally, including in CIS countries like Ukraine, Armenia, and Kazakhstan, demand for the metal was not as strong as expected.
Minister of industry and new technology of Tajikistan Shavkat Bobozoda told local media last month that the country plans to increase domestic processing of primary aluminium. He went on to say that domestic demand was in the area of 30 thousand tons per annum, and the country’s capacity is expected to rise to a high of 10 thousand metric tons in the current year.
Aluminium is a significant contributor to Tajikistan’s economy. Tajikistan Aluminum Company (TALCO) is the country’s largest state-owned enterprise and has a yearly capacity of 500 thousand metric tons. Its operations make up almost half of the country’s GDP and ninety percent of its foreign exchange earnings. The firm uses forty percent of the electricity generated by the country and is one of its biggest taxpayers.