During a visit to the southern province of Khatlon, President Emomali Rahmon sharply criticized “the pace” of the province's development of the agrarian sector.
His criticism, directed at local officials in the province, came during an address to a meeting of regional administrators in Danghara on May 25.
Due to pumping stations being out of order, more than 10,000 hectares of irrigated lands in Tajikistan have been left without water. In Khatlon alone, almost 900 hectares of irrigated arable lands have gone out of agricultural production.
Moreover, garbage dumps have spread over 16,000 hectares in Khatlon. Of those 16,000 ha, 14,000 ha are irrigated lands.
It is this state of affairs that has become the object of harsh criticism from the president.
“We need to increase crops and agricultural production year after year, provide food to the country's consumer market at any time of the year, constantly reducing the dependence of the country’s economy on in import of food products,” the president noted.
According to the data provided by the president in address, 18 pump stations are not in operation in Khatlon province, as a result of which more than 5,000 hectares of lands have been left without water.
Besides, 16 pump stations have not operated in the northern province of Sughd and 22 pump stations have not operated in districts subordinate to the center (RRP). As a result, 3,800 hectares of lands in Sughd province and 3,300 hectares of lands in districts subordinate to the center have not been provided with water.
In 2023, almost 900 hectares of irrigated arable lands went out of agricultural production due to “unsatisfactory farm work.”
As of May 17, all categories of farms in Khatlon province have carried out spring sowing on a total area of almost 200,000 hectares, which is 97 percent of the prognosis: the province has reportedly reached 80 percent of potato sowing prognosis; 93 percent of melons sowing prognosis, and 87 of fodder crops sowing.
Rahmon ordered the implementation of “immediate measures to rectify the current situation” in the province.
