KULOB, September 13, 2012, Asia-Plus — Five cotton producing districts in the Kulob region of Khatlon province have yielded the first 10,000 tons of raw cotton by September 13, which is 13.4 percent of this year’s target, Rajabali Kulabekov, a chief agronomist with the Kulob agriculture department told Asia-plus in an interview.
“Last year, local cotton growers had yielded 19,000 tons of raw cotton by September 13,” Kulabekov said, noting that a cold snap in early spring affected the cotton-harvesting campaign in the area.
Kulob cotton growers are expected to yield to 65,520 tons of raw cotton this year, the chief agronomist added.
This year, Tajik farmers have planted cotton on some 200,000 hectares. Last year, 203,000 hectares were allocated to cotton cultivation and farmers produced 403,000 tons of cotton in 2011.
Dr. Saidjamol Saidov, Director of the Institute of Farming at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Tajikistan, expects Tajik farmers to yield no less than 400,000 tons of raw cotton this year.
Cotton makes an important contribution to both the agricultural sector and the national economy. Cotton accounts for some 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. Tajikistan is the world’s fourth largest exporter of cotton, and there is strong demand on international markets for its high quality product.
