Uzbekistan has more than tripled import — by a factor of 3.2 – year-on-year in January-August, the State Statistics Committee said.

The Central Asian nation imported 281.6 million litres of motor petrol worth $100 million, mainly from Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Iraq in the first eight months of 2021.

Uzbekistan produced about 730,000 tonnes of motor petrol.

The number of cars owned by individuals increased to 2.7 million from 2.4 million, according to official reports, and  demand is still growing.

Since Uzbekistan started imports of high octane petrol, prices have become among the highest in the region, prompting considerable discontent.

Uzbekistan hopes to significantly decrease the import of diesel, jet and other fuel when it launches its first gas-to-liquids (GTL) plant. The $3.6 billion plant is expected to be commissioned by the end of this year.