KULOB, March 16, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Compared to January-February 2009, banks and microfinance organizations operating in Khatlon’s Kulob zone have reportedly doubled lending volumes over the first two months of this year.

“Over the first two months of this year, branches of commercial banks and microfinance organizations functioning in the Kulob zone have provided 16,162,274 somoni in loans, which is practically twice as much compared to February-January 2009,” Abdukarim Nematov, head of the branch of the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT) in Kulob, told Asia-Plus today.

In the meantime, banks now prefer to provide loans to commercial organizations, he added.  “Over the report period, 7,804,790 somoni, or 48.3 percent of the overall volume of loans provided in January-February 2010, have been given to commercial organizations and only 32.9 percent  of loans has been given to farming units,” Nematov said.