DUSHANBE, July 14, 2009, Asia-Plus — Over the first six months of this year, the external trade turnover of Tajikistan, including electrical power and natural gas, has amounted to little more than 1.54 billion U.S. dollars, which was 78.3 percent of the January-June 2008 level or 715 million US dollars fewer, the first deputy head of the Customs Service, Nemat Rahmatov, remarked at a press conference in Dushanbe on July 13.
According to him, exports of goods have decreased by 380 million dollars and imports of good into the country have decreased by nearly 335 million dollars compared to January-June 2009.
Speaking to reporters, Nouriddin Mahmadov, the deputy chief of the Customs Service, said that over the report period, customs officers have transferred 668.5 million somoni to the national budget, which is 10 percent fewer than in the same period of last year and 11.9 percent fewer than it was originally planned. The target for this period has been determined at 752.3 million U.S. somoni.
More than 2,500 instances of violation of the customs rules have been registered over the same six-month period, which is nine cases more than in January-June 2008.
Over the report period, customs officers have seized some 78 kilograms of narcotics and warded off the delivery of 762 copies of subversive literature and 72 illegal audio and video products, including 21 porno videos, Qurbonnazar Abdunazarov, the head of the Customs Service department for combating customs violations, said.
