DUSHANBE, November 18, 2009, Asia-Plus – A working group, led by the Deputy Prime Minister in charge of agriculture, Murodali Alimardon, is currently in the Khatlon province.
Saidjamol Saidov, Director of the of the Institute for Farming Studies at the Academy of Agricultural, who is member of this group, told Asia-Plus today that the purpose of the trip is for the group to get acquainted with the current situation in the region’s agrarian sector.
“The group traveled to the province on November 17 and during ten days, the group members will inspect local cotton producing farms,” Saidov said, noting that more volunteers, except school and university students, will be sent to cotton plantations to help farmers.
In the meantime, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, cotton farmers yielded 1,275 tons of cotton on November 17. 89,500 people, including 57,500 farmers and 32,000 volunteers, worked in cotton fields last Tuesday.
Cotton growers of Khatlon province have yielded 190,00 tons of cotton by November 18, which is 85.1 percent of the target. Khatlon has pledged to produce 233,000 tons of cotton this year.
Cotton growers in the northern province of Sughd have yielded some 82,600 tons of cotton by this day, which is 75.7 percent of the target. Their target is 109,000 tons.
Districts subordinate to the center have gathered more than 9,812 tons of cotton by November 18, which is 55.3 percent of their target. Their target is 17,800 tons.
The republic has yielded more than 282,00 tons of raw cotton by November 18, 2009, which comprises 80.6 percent of this year”s target that ahs been determined at 350,000 tons of raw cotton.
