DUSHANBE (TCA) — Tajikistan’s foreign trade amounted to US $2.895 billion in January-September 2016 and reduced by $250 million or 7.9 percent compared to the same period last year, Avesta news agency reports with reference to Tajikistan’s National Statistical Agency.
The decrease in the foreign trade was mainly due to reduced imports of timber, finished food products, mineral products, and transport vehicles, as well as reduced exports of cotton, precious and semi-precious stones and metals, live animals and products of animal husbandry, fruit and vegetables.
Russia and China remain Tajikistan’s main trading partners.
In the first nine month of this year, Tajik-Russian trade turnover amounted to $764 million and Tajik-Chinese trade was $700 million.
Compared to the same period last year, Tajikistan’s trade with Russia fell by 9.3 percent and trade with China grew 32 percent.
Tajikistan’s other largest trading partners are Kazakhstan ($458 million), Turkey ($224 million), and Switzerland ($104 million).
Avesta also reported with reference to the Statistical Agency that foreign investments in the economy of Tajikistan amounted to $456.3 million in the first half of this year. The amount includes $220.9 million of direct investments and the remaining $235.4 million of foreign loans and grants.
According to the Statistical Agency, more than half of the foreign investments came from China.
Chinese investors mainly invested in the financial sector, geological exploration, communications, construction materials industry, oil refining and production of oil products, and agriculture.