DUSHANBE, July 28, 2008, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) rose 5.8 percent in the year to July 1, 2008, reaching 6.5 million somonis (TJS), Minister of Finance Safarali Najmuddinov remarked at a press conference in Dushanbe on July 25.
According to him, inflation for the first six months of 2008 stood 8.3 percent, while the country’s foreign trade deficit for January-June 2008 was 788.464 million US dollars.
In January-June 2008, the foreign trade turnover of Tajikistan, including electric energy and natural gas, has amounted to 2.326 billion US dollars. Exports of goods in the first six months of this year have amounted to 790 million US dollars. Imports of goods into the country over the report period have amounted to 1.536 billion US dollars.
The minister noted that the budget’s revenue part over the same six-month period has been overfulfilled by 16 percent and amounted to 1.6 billion somonis.
Over the report, the expenditure part of the budget has amounted 1.8 billion somonis (90 percent of the target).
In January-June 2008, 800 million somonis have been spent on the social sphere and 614 million somonis have been earmarked for economy, Najmuddinov said.
“Expenses on the construction have amounted to 112 million somonis. The funds have been spent for construction of the tunnels of Istiqlol, Shar-Shar and Chormaghzak, bridges across the Panj River, power grids South-North and Lolazor-Khatlon, as well as power plants Sangtuda-1 and Sangtuda-2,” the minister said.
He added that some 23 million somonis had been allocated over the report period to Barqi Tojik power holding and national natural-gas distributor, Tojikgaz, for preparation of power facilities for the autumn-winter period.
