DUSHANBE, April 18, 2011, Asia-Plus — A cotton sowing campaign is progressing in Tajikistan and cotton farmers have reached 68.6 percent of the cotton sowing target to this day, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).
210,000 hectares have been allocated to cotton cultivation this year and farmers have planted cotton on 144,000 hectares by April 18, the source at a MoA said.
According to him, cotton farmers in Khatlon have planted cotton on 102,300 hectares to date, which is 78.4 percent of their cotton sowing target. In all, 130,500 hectares have been allocated to cotton cultivation in Khatlon.
Sughd province has allocated 62,500 hectares to cotton and local farmers have planted cotton on 34,500 hectares (55.2 percent) by April 18.
Districts subordinate to the center have allocated 17,000 hectares to cotton cultivation this year; by April 18, they have planted cotton on more than 7,000 hectares (42 percent).
The MoA specialists expect Tajik farmers to yield some 400,000 tons of raw cotton this year.
We will recall that last year, Tajikistan yielded 310,513 tons of raw cotton from 160,400 hectares, which was 10,500 tons more than it was originally planned and 3.2 percent (13,500 tons) more than in 2009.
Cotton makes an important contribution to both the agricultural sector and the national economy. Cotton accounts for 60 percent of agricultural output, supports 75 percent of the rural population, and uses 45 percent of irrigated arable land. At the national level, it is an important source of both export earnings and tax revenue. Cotton fiber accounts for some 15 percent of Tajikistan’s exports. Tajikistan is reportedly the world’s fourth largest exporter of cotton, and there is strong demand on international markets for its high quality product.
