DUSHANBE July 25, 2015, Asia-Plus -- Over the first six months of this year, Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) has produced 53,600 tons of primary aluminum, which is 55 percent fewer than in the same period last year, Minister of Industry and New Technologies Shavkat Bobozoda told journalists in Dushanbe on July 24.

The minister said that there were objective reasons for the decline in aluminum production, including the fall in the international aluminum prices.

“We intend to increase volumes of processing aluminum into manufactured goods inside the country,” said Bobozoda.  “19 enterprises for production of aluminum dishes and window frames have been launched in the country.”  “Thus, Tajik-Turkish joint venture, Tajprof, which produces aluminum profiles, has 3,700 tons in production capacity.

According to him, 13 million somoni have been spent for construction of Tajprof and 70 people now work with this enterprise.         

We will recall that according to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT) TALCO has produced 36,000 tons of primary aluminum over the first quarter of this year.

According to prognostic data from the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, aluminum production in Tajikistan will fall to 150,000 tons this year.

Last year, Tajikistan reportedly produced 216,400 tons of primary aluminum, which was 20.6 percent fewer than in 2012.  In 2013, Tajikistan exported 197,000 tons of aluminum.

 As of May 8, 2014, the international price for one ton of primary aluminum was 1,771.50 U.S. dollars.  This year, the highest international price for one ton of primary aluminum was reported on April 24 – 1,873.25 U.S. dollars.

TALCO is one of the ten largest aluminum smelters in the world and provides up to 70% of the country’s foreign currency earnings, consuming 40% of the country’s electrical power.  TALCO is wholly owned by the Tajik government.  Tajikistan does not mine alumina but imports the raw material through tolling arrangements.

Construction of the Tajik aluminum plant (TadAZ) began in 1972, and the first pouring of aluminum took place on March 31, 1975.  On April 3, 2007, TadAZ was officially renamed to TALCO – Tajik Aluminum Company.