DUSHANBE, July 26, 2010, Asia-Plus — Tajikistan’s gold and currency reserves rose 25.7 percent in six months to June 30, 2010, reaching 441.6 million U.S. dollars, Sharif Rahimzoda, the head of the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT), told reporters in Dushanbe on July 26.
According to him, the central bank has purchased 417 kilograms of gold over the first six months of this year. “Of them, 416 kilograms have been purchased from domestic market and one kilogram has been purchased from external market,” Rahimzoda said.
In the meantime, the country’s money holding rose 23.5 percent in the year to June 30, 2010, reaching 2.2726 billion somoni.
“Over the first six months of this year, the Tajik national currency, the somoni, has fallen only 1 percent against the dollar, showing solid stability compared to national currencies of the neighboring countries,” said the central bank head, “The national currency of Uzbekistan, for example, has fallen some 14 percent over the report period.”
Over the same six-month period, 190 million somoni have been put into circulation and 120.7 million somoni of dilapidated banknotes have been immobilized in the country, Rahimzoda said.
Over the report period, 868.8 million U.S. dollars have been remitted to banks in Tajikistan, which is 24.7 percent more than in January-June last year. “We expect remittances to local banks to increase by 30 percent this year compared to 2009,” Rahimzoda added.
