DUSHANBE, October 17, 2011, Asia-Plus — A government session, presided over by President Emomali Rahmon, was held in Dushanbe on October 17 to review the results of work done over the first nine months of this year, the presidential press service reports.
The meeting also considered preparations to ensure the regular work of the country’s economy during autumn-winter 2011-2012.
In a report released at the meeting, Minister of Finance Safarali Najmiddinov, in particular, noted that the budget’s revenue part have amounted to 6.1 billion somoni over the first nine months of this year, which is 180.4 million somoni more than it was originally planned and 1.8 billion somoni more than in the same period last year.
Speaking at the meeting, President Rahmon expressed satisfaction with work of cotton producers who have already fulfilled the 2011 national cotton target.
We will recall that Tajikistan has yielded more than 391 tons of cotton by October 16, which comprises 100.3 percent of this year”s target that has been determined at 390,000 tons of cotton.
Many cotton producing districts are continuing to gather cotton in addition to their obligations. The MoA specialists are sure that Tajik cotton growers can yield more than 420,000 tons of cotton this year.
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.
