DUSHANBE, August 18, 2012, Asia-Plus — Dr. Saidjamol Saidov, Director of the Institute of Farming at the Academy of Agricultural Sciences of Tajikistan, expects Tajik farmers to yield no less than 400,000 tons of raw cotton this year.
According to him, cotton-producing farms in Khatlon’s districts of Qubodiyon, Shahritous, Qumsangir and Kulob have already launched a cotton-harvesting campaign and farmers from districts in the Hisor Valley (central Tajikistan) will start to harvest cotton within the next few days. “In northern Tajikistan, the cotton-harvesting campaign will start in early September,” Dr. Saidov noted.
Average cotton yields are expected to be 2.0-2.1 tons per hectare, the expert added.
This year, Tajik farmers have planted cotton on some 200,000 hectares. Last year, 203,000 hectares were allocated to cotton cultivation and farmers produced 403,000 tons of cotton in 2011.
Cotton makes an important contribution to both the agricultural sector and the national economy. Cotton accounts for some 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. Tajikistan is the world’s fourth largest exporter of cotton, and there is strong demand on international markets for its high quality product.
