DUSHANBE, July 24, Asia-Plus  -- High loan interest rates and customs duties seriously affect full-fledged activity of Tajikistan consumers’ cooperation union, Tojikmatloubot, the Tojikmatloubot head Sirojiddin Valiyev told a press conference in Dushanbe on July 24.  

According to him, loan funds are needed to ensure proper work of the consumer’s cooperatives on increasing food supplies and delivering essential goods to the country.  

“Bank currently provide loans to customers at 18 percent annual interest, which is unprofitable for us, because we also have to pay 27-percent customs duties for goods imported into the country,” said Valiyev, “Such high interest rates and customs duties put us at a disadvantage and make our activity unprofitable.” 

On the production of farm produce, the Tojikmatloubot head expressed serious concern about low level of crop yields in the country this year.  “Because of this we have head to reduce our agricultural exports this year,” Valiyev said.

He further added that Tojikmatloubot has had transferred 7.476 million somonis to the country’s budget over the first six months of this year, which is 1.598 million more than in the same period of last year.  According to him, the consumer’s cooperation union is planned to have transferred 18 million somonis to the national budget by the end of the year. 

Tojikmatloubot’s goods turnover is supposed to amount to 110 million somonis before the end of this year.