DUSHANBE, April 12, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- Gasoline prices have hit a new high in Tajikistan this month.

The price of one liter of 95-octane gasoline in Dushanbe has risen from 4.70 percent on April 1 to 5.00 somoni (more than 6 percent rise), with similar price rises in other parts of the country.

According to the Antimonopoly Agency under the Government of Tajikistan, gasoline suppliers that are on the register of dominating companies coordinated their new prices with the antimonopoly commission last week already.

“The price hike has resulted from the world oil market trends, increase in Russia’s tariffs for oil products exported to Tajikistan and increase in rates of Uzbekistan’s transit duty for Tajikistan-bound cargo,” the source at the Antimonopoly Agency said.

Three companies reportedly dominate Tajik fuel market – Gazprom-Tajikistan (Russia), Anahita and Nouri Dilshod (both are local companies).

We will recall that Russia that provides the bulk of Tajikistan’s fuel imports has raised gas tariffs for Tajikistan again.  By Russian government’s decree the export duty on light oil for countries that are not members of the Customs Union rises from US$244.6 to US$283.9 beginning on April 1.

According to the Ministry of Energy and Industries (MoEI), Tajikistan has imported 62,012 tons of oil products from Russia over the first two months of this year; Russia accounted for 78.6 percent of Tajikistan’s fuel imports over the report period.  Tajikistan also purchases oil products from Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.