DUSHANBE, February 20, Asia-Plus — In January 2008, the external trade turnover of Tajikistan, including electrical power and natural gas, amounted to $338.6 million, which is 112.2 percent of the January 2007 level or $36.9 million more, according to the State Committee for Statistics. The trade balance was negative and amounted to some $115 million.
Exports of goods last month amounted to some $112 million, which is 14.5 percent or $19 million more than in January 2007. Imports of goods into the country amounted to $226.7 million, which is 32.7 percent or $55.9 million more than in January 2007.
In January 2007, Tajikistan had foreign trade transactions with 67 countries of the world, including 10 CIS states.
Last month, the main items of Tajikistan’s exports were aluminum, cotton fiber and electrical power.
In January 2008, a share of electrical power in Tajikistan’s external trade turnover accounted for 2.4 percent. According to Barqi Tojik power holding, Tajikistan last month exported 195 million kWh of electricity for some $3 million.
Over the report period, Tajikistan imported 314.3 million kWh of electrical power for $5.3 million. The main partner of Tajikistan in this sphere was Uzbekistan, which supplied 210.7 million kWh of electricity for $3.2 million to Tajikistan in January 2008. Turkmenistan last month exported 101.8 million kWh of electrical power for $2.1 million.
Last month, Tajikistan imported 68.7 million cubic meter of natural gas from Uzbekistan for $10 million.
In January 2008, a share of cotton fiber in Tajikistan’s exports accounted for 7.3 percent. Tajikistan exported $8.2 million worth of 6,400 tons of cotton fiber last month, which is 4,200 tons or $2.8 million fewer than in January 2007. Tajikistan exported 38.7 percent of its cotton fiber to Iran, 20 percent to Uzbekistan, some 15 percent to Bulgaria, 11.4 percent to Russia, 5.2 percent to Latvia, 3.7 percent to Turkey, 3.1 percent to Ukraine, and 3 percent to China. Compared to January 2007 an average price of one ton of cotton fiber increased by $228, reaching $1,267 in January 2008.
