The key facts

  • The retail price of liquefied gas for the population is proposed to be raised from 2,000 to 5,000 soums per kg including VAT; the maximum delivery cost is 1,300 soums per kg.
  • Needy families would receive a compensation of 3,000 soums per kg, up to a maximum of 20 kg per month (up to 60,000 soums); payments are proposed to run until January 1, 2030.
  • According to the authorities, about 220,000 subscribers of the Social Registry will receive support, with 158 billion soums allocated for payments.

The essence of the proposal

Uzbekistan's Ministry of Economy and Finance has published for public discussion a draft government resolution providing for a 2.5-fold increase in the retail price of liquefied gas for household needs of the population — from 2,000 to 5,000 soums per kilogram including VAT. Separately, it is proposed to set a maximum cost of gas delivery to the population by LPG-Trade LLC and entrepreneurs participating in the project — 1,300 soums per kilogram including VAT. The document itself proposes the price increase from October 1, 2026, but the authorities' explanatory materials indicate November 1, coinciding with the start of the new supply procedure provided for by the September presidential resolution.

Who will be compensated for the difference and how

For socially vulnerable families, a compensation of 3,000 soums is proposed for each purchased kilogram of gas, but no more than 20 kg per month — the maximum payment will be 60,000 soums. When buying 20 kg for 100,000 soums, the family's expenses, taking the compensation into account, will be 40,000 soums — the same as it currently pays under the existing tariff. Recipients will include families in the Social Registry; families outside the registry who meet the need criteria, with an average per capita income no higher than twice the minimum consumer expenses (the maximum income being 1.43 million soums per family member per month); as well as families where orphaned children or children left without parental care live. The compensations are proposed to be paid until January 1, 2030. According to the authorities, support is planned to cover about 220,000 subscribers of the Social Registry, with 158 billion soums provided for payments.

Application procedure

An application can be submitted through centers of state services, the Inson social services centers, social workers in mahallas, the my.gov.uz portal, or the Social Card app; the service will be free of charge. The social protection information system will automatically verify whether the family belongs to the category of recipients, and data on gas purchases will come from the E-gaz Billing system of Khududgaztaminot. The payment will be assigned from the month of application with inclusion in the payment list of the following month; funds will be transferred to the social card. Data on gas purchases and eligibility for assistance are to be verified monthly — if the conditions are maintained, the compensation will continue automatically. For families outside the Social Registry, the initial assessment of the socio-economic situation will be conducted three months after the application, and then every six months.

The authorities' arguments

The explanatory materials state that the current price of 2,000 soums per kilogram does not allow supplying consumers with the necessary volume of gas on time. According to the authorities, there are about 4 million household liquefied gas consumers in the country; if each were supplied 20 kg per month, the annual demand would be about 912,000 tons. The average interval between cylinder deliveries is 30–35 days, and in some regions significantly longer. As a result, it is claimed, some families have to buy additional gas at market prices — on average from 11,000 to 13,500 soums per kilogram. Examples are given: a resident of the Ishtikhansky district of the Samarkand region received gas on average once every 53 days and from January to July bought 80 kg at the regulated price and 60 kg at 11,000 soums (total expenses — 820,000 soums, an average of 5,857 soums per kg); a resident of the Kushtepinsky district of the Fergana region had cylinders delivered once every 71 days, and she additionally bought 24 kg at 13,500 soums.

Production is falling, imports are growing

According to data presented by the authorities, the total volume of liquefied gas resources from 2023 to 2026 is expected to grow by 68% — from 906,000 to 1.52 million tons. At the same time, domestic production will decrease from 883,000 to 803,000 tons (by 9%), and imports will increase from 19,000 to 713,000 tons — almost 38-fold; from January to September 2026, 539,000 tons were imported. The authorities note the growing share of more expensive imported fuel and the increase in demand for propane from motorists: as of September 1, 2026, there were 716,000 vehicles running on this fuel — 35% more than on November 1, 2024. According to estimates from the explanatory materials, in 2023–2025 the state conditionally subsidized liquefied gas for household needs by an average of 5.4 trillion soums per year, and the volume of supplies to the population in 2026 is expected to be 4% below the 2023 level.

Additional measures

The authorities emphasize that the proposed price of 5,000 soums per kilogram is still not a market price, since part of the expenses will continue to be compensated from the budget. The Committee for the Development of Competition and Protection of Consumer Rights is proposed to organize constant monitoring of exchange trading to prevent artificial inflation of liquefied gas prices.