Recently, at a meeting of entrepreneurs, government members, and ambassadors abroad held in Tashkent, representatives of Uzbekistan's construction companies urgently reported to the government's senior management that their exports of building materials to Tajikistan are facing systemic trade barriers.

The Trade Director of Knauf Company presented shocking data: Starting from December 1, 2025, Tajikistan has set the base value of each ton of tiles at $300 and imposed an additional fee of $450, resulting in a total cost including logistics and tariffs soaring from $2000 to $12000.

tariff barrier

Uzbekistan's building materials exporters are facing sudden trade barriers from Tajikistan. Despite submitting complete documents, the goods are still required to clear customs according to the "backup" plan, which directly leads to an increase of about 15% in product costs.

Local entrepreneurs in Tajikistan have also directly requested the cancellation of these measures from their government, but two months have passed and the decision has not changed. According to Uzbekistan's statistics, the trade volume between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan reached 737.9 million US dollars in the first 11 months of 2025.

Uzbekistan's business representatives elaborated on the trade difficulties at the meeting. These non-tariff barriers have seriously affected normal trade relations, leading to a significant decline in the competitiveness of Uzbekistan's building materials in the Tajikistan market.

Multi party dilemma

Entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan face multiple market challenges. In addition to the tariff barriers in Tajikistan, visa difficulties in Turkmenistan have also become obstacles to expanding the market.

The company representative pointed out at the meeting that there are serious difficulties in obtaining employee visas when promoting new products to Turkmenistan. In the first 11 months of 2025, the trade volume between Ukraine and Turkmenistan was 1.06 billion US dollars, and visa issues may affect this important trade relationship.

Meanwhile, entering the Caucasus market has also resulted in almost no profitability for exports due to high logistics costs. Enterprise representatives are calling on the government to take measures to address these issues and ensure the normal operation of export business.

reciprocal countermeasures

Faced with trade barriers, the Uzbekistan government takes a tough stance. After listening to the report, Deputy Prime Minister Jamshid Khojayev immediately instructed the Customs Committee and Ambassador to Tajikistan to negotiate with the Tajikistan side.

He explicitly warned that if the problem is not resolved, Ukraine may take reciprocal countermeasures. This statement marks a hardening of Uzbekistan's stance in regional trade disputes.

The meeting also decided to provide practical assistance in resolving visa issues with Turkmenistan and instructed the Ministry of Transport to study specific solutions to stabilize export logistics channels to Caucasus countries and reduce transportation costs.

After the meeting, Uzbek entrepreneurs expressed cautious optimism about the government's positive response. They look forward to resolving trade disputes through diplomatic channels and restoring normal trade relations.

Tajikistan has not yet made a formal response to Uzbekistan's warning. Central Asia trade observers pointed out that this dispute may affect the process of regional economic integration, especially under the framework of China's the Belt and Road Initiative.

With Uzbekistan adopting a tougher trade stance, economic relations between Central Asian countries may face a new period of adjustment.Editor/Yang Meiling