DUSHANBE, August 1, 2014, Asia-Plus – On Friday August 1, Tajik President Emomali Rahmon received Mr. Andrew Caplan, top manager in Glencore International AG.

According to the Tajik president’s official website, the sides discussed issues related to cooperation in producing and processing primary aluminum.

Glencore International AG reportedly intends to participate in modernization of the Tajik Aluminum Company (TALCO) and shifting Tajik aluminum smelter to domestic raw materials.  

Glencore plc is an Anglo–Swiss multinational commodity trading and mining company headquartered in Baar, Switzerland and with its registered office in Saint Helier, Jersey. The company was created through a merger of Glencore with Xstrata on May 2, 2013.  As of 2013, it ranked twelfth in the Fortune Global 500 list of the world''s largest companies.

As Glencore, the company was already one of the world''s leading integrated producers and marketers of commodities. It was the largest company in Switzerland and the world''s largest commodities trading company, with a 2010 global market share of 60 percent in the internationally tradeable zinc market, 50 percent in the internationally tradeable copper market, 9 percent in the internationally tradeable grain market and 3 percent in the internationally tradeable oil market.

Glencore had a number of production facilities all around the world and supplied metals, minerals, crude oil, oil products, coal, natural gas and agricultural products to international customers in the automotive, power generation, steel production and food processing industries

Glencore is reported to serve as a marketing partner for Xstrata.  Glencore reportedly controls 40% of Xstrata stock.

TALCO is one of the ten largest aluminum smelters in the world and provides the bulk of the country’s foreign currency earnings.  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.