Tajikistan’s wheat and flour imports rise as sugar purchases decline in H1 2026
Tajikistan imported 660,800 tonnes of wheat in the first half of 2026, up 7.7% year on year, while flour imports jumped 45.2% to 35,400 tonnes. Sugar imports fell 15.1% to 80,800 tonnes despite a higher average price.
Wheat volumes and import costs increase
Tajikistan imported 660,800 tonnes of wheat in the first half of 2026, an increase of 7.7% compared with the same period of 2025, ZOL.ru reported, citing Khaydarali Rajabzoda, head of the Antimonopoly Service under the government. The country purchased an additional 47,500 tonnes, showing that imported grain remains an important component of its food supply.
The average cost of imported wheat reached $259 per tonne, $25 more than in January-June 2025. Applying that average to the reported volume indicates a substantial rise in procurement costs, driven by both higher quantities and a higher unit value. The figures do not identify Tajikistan’s wheat suppliers, so the change cannot be allocated among individual exporting countries.
For millers and grain traders, the combination of growing volume and higher prices points to stronger demand for imported raw material. It also increases exposure to international grain prices, transport costs and financing conditions. The rise matters particularly because domestic flour output expanded sharply during the same six-month period.
Flour imports rise alongside domestic production
Flour imports increased 45.2% to 35,400 tonnes, with a total value of $11.3 million. The average import price was $320 per tonne. The pace of growth was much faster than for wheat, although flour imports remained far below the volume of grain entering the country.
ZOL.ru reported that 19 business entities operate in Tajikistan’s flour import market. Todj Tour held the largest stated share at 35.5%, followed closely by Sahad at 34.8%. The government’s Agency for the Provision of Special Property accounted for 11.7%, while other market participants represented 18.1%.
Those figures show a concentrated market: the two leading companies together controlled 70.3% of flour imports. This concentration makes their purchasing decisions particularly relevant to imported flour availability and pricing. At the same time, domestic flour production reached 399,400 tonnes in January-June 2026, rising by 95,800 tonnes, or 31.6%, year on year.
The simultaneous growth of wheat imports, flour imports and domestic flour production suggests broad expansion in available flour supply rather than a simple replacement of local milling by finished-product imports. Imported flour equaled less than one-tenth of reported domestic output, while imported wheat supplied processors with a much larger raw-material flow. The data do not specify consumption, inventories or re-exports, so they do not establish where all of the additional supply was absorbed.
Sugar imports fall as unit prices climb
Sugar imports moved in the opposite direction, declining 15.1% to 80,800 tonnes. Their reported value was $53.9 million, and the average import price rose to $667 per tonne, $38 above the level recorded in the first half of 2025. Lower volumes therefore did not translate directly into proportionate relief in purchasing costs.
Customs statistics showed wide differences by origin. Sugar from Russia averaged $711 per tonne, compared with $975 for supplies from Belarus and $556 for shipments from India. The gap gives importers a strong incentive to consider origin and logistics together, while quality, contract terms and delivery schedules may also affect the recorded values. For Tajikistan’s food sector, the first-half figures reveal diverging procurement trends: more wheat and flour entered the market at higher average prices, while sugar purchases contracted even as their unit cost increased.
