KHOROG, May 19, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Over the first four months of this year, labor migrants have remitted some 6.645 million U.S. dollars to banks in Gorno Badakhshan, which is more than 2.727 million dollars fewer than in the same period of last year, the source at the GBAO regional administration said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

In January-April 2008, labor migrants remitted 9.372 million U.S. dollars to banks in Gorno Badakhshan.

According to the source, the labor migrants’ remittances have decreased due to the financial crisis in the Russian Federation.  Many of labor migrants from Gorno Badakhshan working in Russian have lost their jobs while some others have not received wages for several months, he said.

As it had been reported earlier, labor migrants remitted more than 36.6 million U.S, dollars to the region in 2008, which was 13.2 million dollars more than in 2007.

Labor migrants are a critical component in the economy of Gorno Badakhshan, which is the poorest region of the country.  Remittances keep many families in the region above the poverty line.

Decrease in remittances has resulted in purchasing capacity of the GABO population decreasing, the source said.

According to the GBAO agency or statistics, some 24,000 residents of Gorno Badakhshan are currently outside Tajikistan, primarily in the Russian Federation, seeking better employment opportunities.