KHUJAND, September 29, 2009, Asia-Plus — Four cities of the Sughd province – Isfara, Chkalovsk, Khujand and Taboshar – will send their representatives to cotton fields this year, Asia-Plus has learned from at the Sughd agriculture directorate.
“Totaling some 3,000 residents of these cities, including employees of local enterprises and organizations as well as free labor resources, will help farmers harvest cotton,” said the source, “They will be sent to cotton plantations through local administrations and employment centers.”
600 people will be sent to the Asht district and others will work in cotton plantations in the Zafarobod district he added. The first groups of volunteers will be sent to Asht and Zafarobod on September 30. “Farming units will set payments for volunteers by themselves; however, the minimal rate has been set at 15 dirmas (0.15 somoni) per one kilogram,” the source said.
He noted that university and school students would not be sent to cotton plantations this year.
In the meantime, cotton famers in Sughd have yielded 7,354 tons of raw cotton to this date, which is 6.3 percent of this year’s target.
