Kazakhstan: Foreign Trade and Retail Sales Plummet

Kazakhstan's foreign trade turnover in January 2009 fell by 41.6 percent to $4.4 billion compared with the first month of 2008.

Imports fell by 21.4 percent to $1.8 billion and exports plummeted by 50.5 percent to $2.6 billion in 2009 compared to the same period the previous year.

In addition, retail commodity turnover, the sale of goods and services, decreased 2.2 percent in January-February compared with the same period in 2008.