DUSHANBE, November 19, Asia-Plus — Yesterday, Tajik cotton farmers yielded only 753 tons of cotton, Alishet Gadoyev, a leading specialist with the industrial and grain crops department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection (MoAEP), said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
According to him, the republic has yielded 414,328 tons of cotton by November 19, which comprises 75.3 percent of this year’s target, which has been determined at 550,000 tons of cotton. Last year, Tajikistan had yielded 438,502 tons of cotton by November 19, which was 80.2 percent of the 2006 target that had been determined at 547,000, the leading specialist said.
The southern Khatlon province has pledged to produce 330,500 tons of raw cotton this year. They have gathered 254,790 tons of cotton to this day, which is 77.1 percent of the target.
Districts subordinate to the center (RRPs) have yielded 35,325 tons of raw cotton by November 19, which is 73.1 percent of the target. Their target is 48,200 tons of cotton.
Cotton growers of the northern Sughd province have yielded 124,303 tons of cotton by November 19, which is 72.8 percent of its target determined at 171,300 tons of cotton.
Experts from a MoAEP say that despite favorable weather conditions, Tajikistan cotton farmers have got no chance to fulfill this year’s national target. According to them, the main reason for non-fulfillment of the target is poor cotton productivity and low weight of cotton bolls. They attributed poor productivity and low weight of cotton bolls to shortage of mineral fertilizers. This year, cotton farms’ requirements in mineral fertilizers have been met for only 50 percent, according to them.
