DUSHANBE, March 29, 2011, Asia-Plus — A mass cotton sowing campaign has officially been launched in Tajikistan.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the cotton sowing campaign in the southern Khatlon province started on March 24 already and Khatlon farmers have planted cotton on more than 2,000 hectares to this date.
Cotton farmers in Sughd province and districts subordinate to the center started the mass cotton sowing campaign today.
210,000 hectares have been allocated to cotton cultivation this year, which is 50,000 hectares more than last year, the source at a MoA said.
According to him, cotton farmers in Khatlon will plant cotton 130,500 hectares, Sughd province – 62,500 hectares and districts subordinate to the center – 17,000 hectares.
“It is still premature to make any cotton production forecast for this year,” said the source, “We will be able to speak about the cotton production forecast only after testing young cotton growth.”
Last year, Tajikistan yielded 310,513 tons of raw cotton, which was 10,500 tons more than it was originally planned and 3.2 percent (13,500 tons) more than in 2009.
Cotton makes an important contribution to both the agricultural sector and the national economy. 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. Cotton fiber accounts for some 15 percent of Tajikistan’s exports.
Tajikistan is reportedly the world’s fourth largest exporter of cotton, and there is strong demand on international markets for its high quality product.
