Known as the “Water Tower of Central Asia”, Tajikistan is rich in resources. In January 2022, President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan signed a decree announcing 2022-2026 as the “Year of Industrial Development”, instructing the heads of various economic departments to speed up the work of increasing import substitution products and reducing the consumer market’s dependence on imports.
Given the huge potential of local agriculture, the establishment of the following new food industry enterprises can not only help Tajikistan solve food safety problems, but also replace imported products.
In addition, Tajikistan has some advantages in this field, such as production capacity, including processing of grain and oil crops, production of dairy products, meat products, confectionary, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and relatively cheap labor.
vegetable oil
Tajikistan needs refineries to process local raw materials and obtain cooking oil, but there are few local refineries.
Experts estimate that the country’s annual demand for vegetable oil is 155,000-160,000 tons. According to official data, the oil processing potential of Tajikistan is 80,000 tons per year, but the actual output is only 23,000 tons.
According to official statistics, in 2022, Tajikistan will import more than 123,000 tons of vegetable oil, worth 148 million US dollars. The Ministry of Economic Development forecasts that annual imports will fall to 92,000 tonnes.
The country is trying to increase vegetable oil production by refining cottonseed. However, cottonseed is a medium oil content crop with an oil yield of 15%-22%. That is, 1 ton of cottonseed can produce 150-220 liters of unrefined oil.
Sesame, peanut, sunflower and corn germ can contain up to 50% oil, canola, almonds, and sunflower seeds can contain up to 40%, and flaxseed, safflower seeds, and pumpkin seeds can contain more than 30%. But due to the lack of arable land, these crops are grown in small quantities, so they have little industrial value.
dairy products
Excluding existing production capacity, there is a clear shortage of dairy products in Tajikistan, and the annual cost of importing dairy products exceeds 15 million US dollars.
The annual output of raw milk exceeds 1 million tons, but only about 20,000 tons of full-fat dairy products. This is despite sources suggesting that figure could increase to 150,000 tonnes per year.
Every region of the Tajikistan country needs at least one dairy factory.
sugar
Tajikistan is the only country in Central Asia that does not produce sugar. The dry and hot climate of the country is not considered suitable for growing the crop due to the scarcity of land resources and the low expected yields of sugar beets.
Although there have been attempts to grow sugar beets in the Vakhsh Valley, there is even talk of building a sugar factory in Tursunzad. But later calculations showed that companies may lose money, and raw materials need to be purchased from abroad.
But some experts believe that such production is not impossible.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economic Development forecasts that sugar imports will increase from 175,000 tons in 2022 to 224,000 tons in 2025.
The government of Tajikistan has no plan to organize sugar production. Is it worthwhile for private companies to try to establish this kind of production, or enter into joint ventures with other countries?
drinks
Tajikistan has great potential in the production of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and factors of production.
The list is extensive: drinking water, juices, soft drinks, beer, wine, vodka, alcohol, malt, etc. Former Food Industry Minister Kurbonov once said: “Any start-up in this field can be profitable and successful in exporting”, which is still valid today.
For example, the existing beer production capacity of the tower is 9.44 million liters, but the output is only 1.5 million liters. The record capacity of non-alcoholic beverages was 1 billion liters, and the utilization rate was only 150 million liters.
greenhouse
With climate change, agricultural production is gradually shifting to indoor cultivation. Greenhouses can be used not only to grow early-maturing vegetables, but also to cultivate seedlings and flowers. Most countries around the world have companies that specialize in the production and installation of small greenhouses.
The number of greenhouses and greenhouses in Tajikistan is very small. Now, it is very necessary for the country to have such an enterprise that can not only produce greenhouses, but also produce their components, and be responsible for the installation and maintenance of greenhouses.
Source: Baidu
