QURGHON TEPPA, January 21, 2011, Asia-Plus — Chinese farmers have reportedly rented fields in the Tajik southern province of Khatlon for cotton cultivation.
Rajabali Taghoyev, the chairman of the Yovon district in Khatlon province, says they have allowed Chinese farmers to rent 80 hectares of land in the district for cultivation of cotton.
“We have offered them 70 more hectares of land in Yovon but they have refused,” said Taghoyev. “We have enough land in the district but we are experiencing shortage of manpower and this trend will not harm locals.”
Chinese farmers will use modern technologies of cotton production and it will be good experience for Tajik farmers, the Yovon chairman added.
Meanwhile, local authorities of the Jomi district tin Khatlon say they allowed Chinese farmers to rend 130 hectares of land in the district last year. A part of those fields was allocated to rice cultivation and the rice yields reportedly stood at more than 6 tons per hectare. They added that unpopulated land containing little of value, with no farmland, minerals, or other resources had been given Chinese farmers.
Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reports that Tajik authorities last year wanted to allow Chinese farmers to rent some fields in Khatlon”s Farkhor district, which borders Afghanistan, but because of security concerns changed their minds and proposed Rumi and Yovon instead.
