DUSHANBE, April 19, Asia-Plus — During his two-day visit to Khatlon’s Dangahra district on April 17-18, President Emomali Rahmon held a meeting with participation of the country’s agriculture authorities and the Khatlon regional administrators, presidential press service said.
On April 17, the president took part in groundbreaking ceremonies for construction of oil mill and brickworks in the district. Both facilities are supposed to be finished 18 months.
The same day, Emomali Rahmon visited the republican forestry in the Sebiston area and the Norak hydroelectric power station (HPS.)
During president’s visit to the Norak HPS, the energy authorities noted that compared to the same period of last year the water levels at the Norak reservoirs have fallen by four meters. They, in particular, noted that last April the water inflow rate in the reservoir was 1,028 cubic meters per day, while at present it is not more than 384 cubic meters.
Thursday evening, President Rahmon familiarized himself with a progress of construction of a 220-kV power grid Lolazor-Khatlon.
Friday morning, the head of state held the meeting with participation of senior representatives from the government, relevant ministries and organizations, heads of banks and the Khatlon regional administrators to discuss Khatlon’s economic results in January-March this year.
Speaking at the meeting, the president noted that last severe winter and energy shortages had caused serious damage to the country’s economy and pointed to the necessity of taking adequate measures to provide food security of the country.
On the province’s economic results, Emomali Rahmon noted that although over the first three months of this year the budget’s revenue part has stood at 108 percent, the Khatlon province has failed to fulfill a three-month target on colleting taxes from physical entities and single tax from producers of agricultural goods. As a result of this the budget has received nearly one million somonis less.
“Over the same three-month period, the republican budget has transferred almost 19 million somonis in subventions to the province,” Rahmon said.
He noted that there are positive tendencies in Khatlon’s agrarian sector, however, food prices on the province’s markets are higher than in Dushanbe: meat prices are higher by 13 percent; milk prices – 37 percent; wheat flour prices – 8 percent; rice prices – 16 percent, potato prices – 4 percent and onion prices – 21 percent.
The president also noted that the situation in the cotton sector is also unsatisfactory. According to him, loan agreements were concluded not with all farming units and the loans provided so far are not sufficient.
Rahmon ordered the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT), Agroinvestbonk, Amonatbonk Tajikistan’s savings bank), Bank Eskhata, and Tajprombank to use all available reserves and fund the cotton sector completely.
On tackling the cotton sector debt problem, President Rahmon charged the deputy prime minister in charge of the agrarian sector, ministries of finance and agriculture, the committee for investment and management of state-owned property as well as central bank to work out a draft resolution on this subject as soon as possible and submit for consideration to the government.
The head of state also expressed concern about destiny of agricultural machines purchased due to grants, totaling $16 million, awarded by Japan and demanded that the ministries of economy and agriculture should study that issue and report to him before July 1.
Besides, heads of Nosir Khusrav, Yovon, Hamadoni, Farkhor, Qubodiyon, and Vose districts as well as the city of Kulob were charged to prepare at least two mechanical cotton harvesters each.
The president also ordered to intensify measures to combat a serious locust infestation that has spread to some districts in the province.
