DUSHANBE, August 14, 2009, Asia-Plus – Compared to the previous years the cotton-harvesting campaign will start later this year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).
Usually, the mass cotton-harvesting campaign is launched in Tajikistan on August 20, but this year, it will start most likely in early September, the source at a MoA said.
This year, Tajik farmers have planted cotton on little more than 170,000 hectares of lands, which is nearly 70,000 hectares fewer than last year.
Last year, farmers planted cotton on some 238,000 hectares of lands and yielded more than 353,000 tons of cotton, while last year’s national target was determined at 553,000 hectares. “This year, specialists expect farmers to yield some 400,000 hectares of raw cotton,” the source said.
Cotton makes an important contribution to both the agricultural sector and the national economy. According to specialists cotton accounts for 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.
