DUSHANBE, July 9, 2014, Asia-Plus – Administrations of the Tajik northern province of Sughd and Russia’s Altai krai are expected to sign an agreement on trade-economic, scientific-technical and cultural cooperation in Barnaul, the capital of Altai krai on July 11, according to the Altai krai’s official website.

A delegation of the Tajik northern province of Sughd, led by Sughd governor Abdurahmon Qodiri, arrived in Barnaul on July 9.

The delegation members reportedly include deputy governor Yaqub Anvar, heads of Sughd agriculture, health and construction departments as well as senior representatives of Sughd migration service directorate and Sughd department for foreign economic cooperation.

On July 9, Sughd governor reportedly held talks with Ivan Loor, speaker of Altay legislature.

On July 10, Abdurahmon Qodiri is scheduled to hold talks with Alexander Karlin, governor of Altay krai, and representatives of the Altai business communities.

Sughd governor is also supposed to meet with representatives of Tajik Diaspora in Altai krai and youth from Sughd province studying at universities sin Altai krai.

In 2013, a two-way trade between Sughd province and Altai krai reportedly amounted to 28.7 million U.S. dollars.

Sughd province exports mainly vegetables and cotton to Altai krai and Sughd’s imports from Altai krai include products of flour-and-cereals industry, lumbers, rail cars and spare parts for them.

Altai Krai is a federal subject of Russia (a krai).  It borders with, clockwise from the west, Kazakhstan, Novosibirsk and Kemerovo oblasts, and the Altai republic.  The krai''s administrative center is the city of Barnaul.  The krai is favorably located close to major sources of raw materials, has a well-developed infrastructure, especially in the area of heavy industry, and an abundance of natural resources. It is a major industrial and agricultural region of the country.  There are more than 2000 industrial companies operating in both heavy and light industry.  The leading sectors are the power, engineering, chemical and petrochemical, building material, textile, and light industries.  This increase is particularly noticeable in the flour-, grain-, and feed-milling and chemical and petrochemical industries and in individual heavy industry sectors, tractor production.  Small and medium business is developing rapidly in Altai krai, which is a necessary condition for economic stability and growth. Today, nearly a quarter of the entire working population is employed in this sector.