By Azernews

By Kamila Aliyeva

Tajikistan is gradually reducing the import of flour, and increasing the import of wheat, which is subsequently processed by the republic itself, according to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade.

In the first quarter of this year, flour imports decreased by 8,000 tons in comparison with the indicators of 2017, while the import of wheat increased by about 36,000 tons.

At the same time, in the first quarter of this year, 7,100 tons of flour worth $1.6 million was received by the republic, which is 8,000 tons less than in the same period last year.

During this period, an increase of 35.900 tons in the volume of wheat imports compared to last year's indicators was noted. In January-March 2018, almost 222,000 tons of wheat was imported to the country for $39.2 million. Kazakhstan remains the main supplier of flour and wheat to the Tajik market.

To date, more than 90 percent of Tajikistan's domestic demand for flour is met through domestic production. The country has significantly increased the volume of grain processing, especially wheat, which led to a decrease in flour imports.

Over 1 million tons of wheat (at an average price of $195 per ton) was imported by Tajikistan last year, which is 1.9 percent more than in 2016. During this period, about 54,600 tons of flour was imported (at an average price of $248 per ton), which is almost 38.4 percent less than in 2016.

Flour alongside wheat was mainly imported from Kazakhstan. Last year, the volume of flour production at domestic enterprises was over 647,500 tons, which is 11.3 percent more than in 2016.

In 2017, the country produced more than 1.4 million tons of grain, according to the Ministry of Agriculture of Tajikistan.