Tajikistan has lifted ban on coal exports following its World Trade Organization (WTO) entry, Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Saidrahmon Nazriyev, told journalists in Dushanbe on July 30.

By government’s decree the ban on coal exports was introduced in Tajikistan on May 1, 2012.

Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Sharif Rahimzoda, noted that demand for coal has been increasing in Tajikistan.  Since 2007, 162 enterprises have shifted to coal, he noted.

According to the Ministry of Energy and Industry (MoEI), 39,641 tons of coal were produced last month, 10,100 tons more than in May 2013.  Over the first six months of 2013, 140,916 tons of coal has produced in Tajikistan, 68,514 tons more than in the same period last year.

Coal production has reportedly increased due to a shift from more expensive natural gas and electricity to more economical coal.