DUSHANBE, September 4, Asia-Plus -- Gasoline prices are continuing to rise in Tajikistan. 

In August, gasoline prices in Dushanbe rose on average by 30 percent, according to information from the Ministry of Economy and Trade. 

The source says that over the past month, the price of 96-octane gasoline, which had averaged 2.30 Somonis a liter, has risen to 2.90 Somonis, with similar price rises in other regions of the country.  The price of one liter of 95-octane gasoline in Dushanbe has risen from 2.20 Somonis to 2.80 Somonis, and one liter of 80-octane gasoline has risen from 1.95 Somonis to 2.70 Somonis.  

Experts from the Ministry of Economy and Trade expect the gasoline prices to rise by further 10 percent in September.  According to them, the price hike has resulted from rising cost of fuel on the world market, in particular from rising cost of petroleum products in Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, and rising exchange rate of USD.  

At the same time, the experts say that the possibility of fuel suppliers’ arranging to raise the gasoline prices cannot be ruled out.  “It cannot be ruled that the fuel suppliers have arranged to raise the gasoline prices, and the rising exchange rate of USD has been just a pretext for that,” the Asia-Plus interlocutor said. 

Besides, Kazakhstan, which provides the bulk of Tajikistan’s fuel imports, usually limits fuel sales in the autumn in connection with harvest season. 

According to the source, over the first six months of this year, Tajikistan has imported totaling over 170,000 tons oil products for a total amount of more than US$80 million from Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Iran, Estonia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Korea and the United Kingdom.  The totaled included 82,000 toms of gasoline for more than US$35 million.