QURGHON TEPPA, April 19, Asia-Plus  -- Over the first quarter of 2007, 49.9 million US dollars and 60.3 million Russian rubles (equivalent to more than $23 million) have been remitted to banks in the Khatlon province from abroad, which is 1.8 and 2.7 times more respectively compared to the same period of last year, Mukarrama Ishoqova, the head of the branch of the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT) for Khatlon, remarked at a news conference in Qurghon Teppa on April 18.  

She added that a number of currency exchange office has also increased in the province since the beginning of the year, from 80 to 90 

It is to be noted that migration from Tajikistan has been very large since transition, particularly to Russia, and significant remittances to Tajikistan have helped reduce household poverty.