Uzbekistan denies buying tractors of Tajikistan

Uzbekistan denies the fact that it has begun to purchase tractors manufactured by the joint Tajik-Belarusian enterprise “Agrotekhservis”.

According to the press service of the JSC “Uzagrotekhsanoatholding” reports that last year the Tajik leasing company “Madad-Agro” acquired tractors produced at the Tashkent plant of agricultural machinery for $355,000.

However, according to Uzbek manufacturers, due to the fact that the Tajik side could not pay for the purchased tractors, they were simply returned to Tashkent.

In the meantime, Tajikistan declared these tractors as its own and, allegedly, sold to Uzbekistan.

On December 27 last year, the Tajik Ministry of Industry spread a message that eight tractors assembled at the Tajik-Belarusian enterprise “Agrotekhservis” under the brands “Belarus 82.1” and “Belarus 80X” were delivered to neighboring Uzbekistan.

The report said that this enterprise plans to establish in the coming year a large-scale supply of these tractors and other agricultural equipment to Uzbekistan, as well as the export of the brand “Belarus 512” (tractor without a cab) to Afghanistan and Pakistan.

On September 29, 2018, the JV “Agrotekhservis” was officially commissioned with the participation of the Presidents of Tajikistan Emomali Rakhmon and Belarus Alexander Lukashenko. The company can produce more than 1700 tractors per year, including agricultural trailers, the number of yearly output reaches to 2600 units.

According to a source at the Tajik Ministry of Industry, Uzbek farmers are in direct contact with the JV “Agrotekhservis” and can enter into direct agreements with the company.

“Due to such contracts, at the end of last year, seven Belarus-made tractors were exported to Uzbekistan, and JSC “Uzagrotekhsanoatholding” may simply not be aware of such supplies,” the Tajik Ministry of Industry noted.