DUSHANBE, February 12, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- On Friday February 12, President Emomali Rahmon met here with visiting chief of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission to Tajikistan, Mr. Axel Schimmelpfennig.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with President Rahmon, Mr. Schimmelpfennig noted that they discussed economic policy measures that the Tajik government plans to take in 2010.

According to him, the Fund may provide a tranche of 40 million U.S. dollars to Tajikistan in the first half-year of 2010 after studying a plan of economic development measures submitted by the Tajik government.  This funds will be provided in addition to 40 million U.S. dollars that the Tajik government received last year.

The IMF official stressed that the Fund highly appraised anti-crisis measures taken by the government of Tajikistan last year.  Despite the global crisis, economic growth rate in Tajikistan stood at 3.4 percent, while labor migrants’ remittances to the country declined by 31 percent in 2009, he added.

Tajikistan was also hit by decline in exports last year.  Tajikistan’s exports declined by 5.5 percent in 2009, however, according to the IMF estimates, the country may see a 7 percent rise in exports this year.  Besides, the Fund expects Tajikistan’s economic growth rate to stand at 4-5 percent in 2010.  This growth will be provided due to reorientation of agriculture, development of economy, increase in remittance inflows to the country and rise in the prices of Tajikistan’s major commodities – cotton and aluminum, head of the IMD mission to Tajikistan noted.