KULOB, February 6, 2009, Asia-Plus — Cotton farmers in Khatlon’s Farkhor district have repaid interest on loans received from local branch of Amonatbonk (Tajikistan’s savings bank) in 2008, Rajabali Kulabekov, an expert-agronomist with Amonatbonk’s branch in Kulob, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.
According to him, Amonatbonk last year provided 4.337 million somoni, including 3.755 million somoni of state funds and 582,120 somoni of bank’s own funds, in loans to 109 cotton-growing farms for the cotton sowing and harvesting campaign. The farms planted cotton on an area of totaling 2,559.5 hectares.
“The bank provided its own funds to cotton farmers at 30 percent annual interest and state funds were provided at 18 percent annual interest,” said Kulabekov, noting that state loan interested amounted to 454,681 somoni and the bank’s own loan interest amounted to 44,237 somoni.
He further added that repayment of principals was also progressing. “Of 3.755 million somoni of state funds, the Farkhor farmers have repaid 2.641 million somoni to this date and of 582,120 somoni of the bank’s funds they have repaid 103,963 somoni so far,” the expert said.
In Khatlon’s Kulob region, Amonatbonk last year provided loans to four districts for the cotton sowing and harvesting campaign. In all, 10.4383 million somoni, including 8.22 million somoni of state funds, were provided to them and the districts have repaid 61.64 percent of loans to this date.
