DUSHANBE, October 15 2009, Asia-Plus  -- In January-September 2009, 1.303 billion U.S. dollars have been remitted to banks in Tajikistan, which is 35 percent fewer than in the same period of last year, Ms. Yelena Kislitsina, the chairperson of the demographic statistics and employment within the State Committee for Statistics, told reporters in Dushanbe on October 15.

According to her, 2.0183 U.S. dollars were remitted to banks in Tajikistan in January-September 2008.

In the meantime, the head of the State Committee for Statistics Mirgand Shabozov noted that the remittance situation has changed for better in recent months.

“For example, over the first half-year of 2009, remittance volumes have decreased by more than 50 percent compared to the same period of last year; therefore, the remittance indicators for January-September – 35% - are not so impressive,” said Shabozov, “It means that economy of the Russian Federation, which is the primary destination for Tajik labor migrants, is recovering and the employment situation there is gradually coming to normal.”

Reminding that more 2.75 billion U.S. dollars were remitted to banks in Tajikistan in 2008, Shabozov said that it was a very large amount and Tajikistan would not receive such remittance volumes this year.  “By the end of this year, the overall volumes of remittances volumes to Tajikistan will have reached not more than 2 billion U.S. dollars.”

Ms. Kislitsina noted that according to migration cards, 590,000 Tajik nationals had traveled abroad in January-June 2009 seeking better employment opportunities.