Competition Committee Links Rise in Liquefied Gas Prices to Increased Imports

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Uzbekistan’s Competition Development Committee has explained the reasons behind the rise in liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) prices on the domestic market, attributing the increase to a shrinking share of locally produced gas and growing demand for more expensive imported supplies.

According to the committee, a total of 358,000 tonnes of liquefied gas were sold through exchange trading in 2025. Of this volume, 219,000 tonnes, or 61%, were domestically produced, while imports accounted for the remaining 39%.

At the beginning of the year, the share of locally produced gas stood at around 80%, but began to decline from August onward. By December, it had fallen to 35%, and by January 2026 to just 10%. The main reason was the redirection of domestic gas primarily to meet the needs of households and social sector facilities.

The committee stressed that the price of domestically produced liquefied gas remained virtually unchanged throughout the year.

Due to existing purchase limits — no more than 5 tonnes per trading session — its price did not exceed 7 million soums per tonne.

By comparison, imported gas was sold at prices of up to 8 million soums per tonne.

As the supply of domestic gas decreased, demand for imported gas rose sharply, leading to the formation of a weighted average exchange price based largely on imported volumes.

Currently, the average exchange price of one tonne of liquefied gas stands at about 9.5 million soums, which is roughly 20% higher than in December.

The Competition Committee said it is taking steps to stabilize the market, including continuous monitoring of prices at automotive gas filling stations.

The agency also noted that liquefied gas is used by only 11% of vehicles in the country, while its share in the overall volume of automotive fuel consumption is about 5%.