The International Trade Center (ITC) supported the preparation of a “Study on Apparel Market of Tajikistan” released on July 31, 2019 and available online for public access.  It is the first such a comprehensive study on Tajikistan apparel market.

According to ITC Tajikistan, the research identified the volume and structure of apparel market in the country, main market players, import and export volume, pricing segments, as well as distribution, promotion and sales channels. It also includes the profiles of leading national apparel producers and provides recommendations to the government and private sector stakeholders.

The study, conducted by Professor Azizullo Avezov, Director of Business Consulting Group, covers Tajikistan apparel market volume, its structure and development dynamics.  It covers apparel markets (bazaars), company branded shops, shopping malls, boutiques and other apparel sale places in the country. Of the total volume of Tajikistan’s apparel market comprising 241 million USD in 2017, half consists of European clothes.  The largest share, accounting for 77%, of imported apparel originates in China, with Turkey following with 15,9% of official apparel imports, according to official data from 2017.

Professor Avezov says: “Exact and correct data about the condition of the apparel market, factors and development trends are necessary for both private and public stakeholders.  At the same time, it is challenging to complete the statistical recording of the market, since a lot of non-profile enterprises are involved in the production, a big volume of national menswear and womenswear are made in households, and illegal import of clothes has significant volume”.

Officially, there are 95 factories and sewing workshops in Tajikistan, mostly located in Sughd and Khatlon provinces, as well as in Dushanbe.  Only in 2017, locally produced apparel consisted of 21.6 million USD.

Apparel sector of Tajikistan has immense potential for creating new jobs and increasing export volume.  Population growth and increased income will result in development of the market, especially expensive apparel segment’s volume and rising consuming culture.

The International Trade Center, supported by the Government of Switzerland, aims to increase the export competitiveness of the Tajik textile and clothing sector by supporting sector companies, and relevant trade support institutions from both public and private sectors.