DUSHANBE, April 4, Asia-Plus — On Thursday April 3, President Emomali Rahmon held a working meeting with participation of senior representatives from the government, president’s office and relevant ministries and organizations to discuss issues related to speeding up the spring sowing campaign, combating locusts and other pests and making preparations for the upcoming summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) scheduled to held in Dushanbe in the summer, presidential press service said.
Deputy Prime Minister Murodali Alimardonov and senior representatives from the ministries of agriculture and land reclamation and water resources as well as other relevant organizations reported on the spring sowing campaign, combating locust and filling market with domestic food products.
During the meeting, it was noted that droughty weather in March had affected grain-sowing campaign in southern districts.
They noted that cotton had to date been planted on 37,000 hectares so far, which is 22,000 hectares more than last year.
Speaking at the meeting, the president pointed out that 55,000 hectares of lands, including 22,000 hectares of areas requiring irrigation, remained unused last year. He also pointed to the necessity of opportunely financing the cotton sector under new system and increasing small loans provided to farmers.
On the issues related to combating locusts and other pests, they noted that enough quantity of equipment and pesticides had been prepared in the country.
The head of state also set specific tasks on filling consumer market with domestic food products and preventing artificial rise in prices of basic food products, meat in particular.
