DUSHANBE, August 23, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- Russia’s open-joint-stock company PAVA will export grade 1 wheat flour to the Sughd province.  

Ms. Darya Korytina, PR-manager, OJSC PAVA, said that an agreement on flour shipments had been reached during a visit of the Sughd governor Qohir Rasoulzoda to Russia’s Altay region.  

According to her, the Sughd consumers’ cooperatives have given preference to grade 1 flour and this first bulk of PAVA’s flour will be shipped to northern Tajikistan in the near future.  Besides, they have also made applications for shipment of groats to Tajikistan in September and a bulk of sunflower oil will be shipped to Tajikistan in October.  

OJSC PAVA is part of the agribusiness division of Russia’s PAVA Group, which is one of the largest companies in Siberia.  OJSC PAVA has a number of subdivisions and subsidiaries – namely: arable units, grain reception enterprises, OJSC “PAVA-Export”, OJSC “Zauralsky Kreker”, Rebrikha, Mikhailovsky and Achinsk flour mills.

PAVA Group, including more than 20 enterprises specializing in agricultural production, flour milling, investment activities and rendering of services, has completed restructuring.  The main objective of restructuring was to improve the management system, financial and economic policy of the company, its operational activity, the system of marketing and distribution, personnel management.  After the restructuring PAVA became a company comprising 3 large divisions. Each of them specializes on activities in different sectors: “Agribusiness”, “Investments” and “Services”.

In the meantime, according to the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT), 122,800 tons of wheat and 254,900 tons of flour have been imported into Tajikistan over the first six months of this year.  Kazakhstan, which provides the bulk of Tajikistan’s grain imports, accounted for 99.4 percent of wheat imports and 85.2 percent of flour imports.  Russia accounted for 0.6 percent and 13.8 percent respectively  

The source at a MoEDT said that over the same six-month period, 25 Tajik entrepreneurs have been engaged in delivery of wheat and 68 others have been engaged in delivery of flour to the country.  The largest bulks of wheat and flour have been delivered to the country by the limited liability companies Sakhi and Zerbovaya Kompaniya (grain company) as well as closed joint-stock company (CJSC) Somon Sughd.  

According to data of the ministry, the price for a 50-kilogram of sack of grade 1 four on Dushanbe’s markets fluctuates from 120 to 125 somonis and the price for grade 2 flour is currently 115-120 somonis.