DUSHANBE, May 19, 2011, Asia-Plus — 72 of 389 cattle-breeding farms in Tajikistan now stand empty, Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Sijouddin Isroilov, announced at a news conference in Dushanbe on May 19.
According him, owners of these farms do not have financial opportunities to run business. “Moreover, these farms do not have their own pastures,” the deputy minister said, noting that the ministry is currently developing the program dedicated to resolve these problem.
According to the statistical data from the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), 3.8 million hectares of agricultural land in the country are under pastures and more than one million hectares of pastures now remain abandoned.
Isroilov noted that the ministry would improve state of pastures until 2014. “Besides, the governments of Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are currently preparing all necessary documents for mutual use of pastures in territories of both countries,” he noted.
The agriculture official said that livestock population has doubled in Tajikistan in recent years. “Currently, there 1.9 million head of cattle, 4.6 million head of sheep and goats and 87,000 horses in Tajikistan,” said the deputy minister. “Despite increase in the livestock population, meat prices have shown an upward tendency in the country.” Isroilov attributed meat price hike to “nearly 40 percent increase in gasoline prices in Tajikistan.”
He recommended citizens of Tajikistan to take more chicken in ration. “Chicken meat is cheaper and more available: the price of one kilogram of chicken meat now fluctuates from 10.00 to 13.00 somoni,” the agriculture official said.
