Tajikistan slashes aluminum, cotton exports as output plummets
DUSHANBE. March 17 (Interfax) - Tajikistan slashed exports of aluminum, its main export commodity, 38.1% year-on-year in January-February to $49.7 million, the country's Presidential Statistics Agency said.
Cotton fiber exports fell 56.5% to $28.1 million.
Cotton fiber exports in tonnage fell 58.9% year-on-year in January-February to 16,600 tonnes, including stockpiled cotton-fiber, and production in the period fell 49.6% to 10,800 tonnes.
Aluminum and cotton accounted for respectively 37% and 20.9% of Tajikistan's exports in January-February this year, and 33.1% and 26.7% in the same period of last year.
The raw cotton harvest fell 6% last year to 392,811 tonnes as Tajikistan opted not to boost production of the crop while world prices were low.
Aluminum production has fallen for the same reason: the state-owned Talco smelter cut output 20.6% last year to 216,369 tonnes and expects this to fall another 30.7% in 2014 to not more than 150,000 tonnes.
Tajikistan's foreign trade turnover fell 5.9% year-on-year in the two months to $739.6 million, with export falling 44.1% to $134.3 million and import growing 11.4% to $605.3 million to produce a deficit of $471 million, compared with a deficit of $300.6 million in the same period of last year.
Russia accounted for 27.2% of Tajikistan's foreign trade. Trade with Russia soared 51.6% year-on-year in January-February to $200.9 million, including $3.1 million in exports from Tajikistan and $197.7 million imports from Russia.
Kazakhstan accounted for 19.4% of Tajikistan's trade in the two months, China - 8.9% and Turkey - 8.7%.
