DUSHANBE, April 10, 2012, Asia-Plus — Tajik farmers have reportedly reached nearly half of the spring grain sowing campaign.
To-date, farmers have planted grains on 63,000 hectares, which is more than 48 percent of the target, an official source at the department crop sector department within the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), said.
According to him, 29,500 hectares have been sown with wheat, 28,200 hectares have been sown with barley and more than 5,200 hectares have been sown with other grain crops.
Meanwhile, the cotton sowing campaign is progressing in the country. To-date, farmers have planted cotton on more than 52,000 hectares, which is some 25 percent of the target, the source said.
209,000 hectares have been allocated to cotton cultivation this year; of them, more than 5,600 hectares will be sown with fine-stapled cotton.
Specialists expect farmers to yield between 415,000 to 420,000 tons of raw cotton this year, depending on weather conditions.
Last year, Tajikistan yielded more than 415,000 tons of raw cotton from 204,000 hectares, which was 6.2 percent or 25,000 tons more than it was originally planned.
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.
