DUSHANBE, June 25, 2013, Asia-Plus — After importing Tajikistan cotton for several years, China would now help this Central Asian country in combating pests that have lately started affecting the productivity of cotton, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)’s website reports.
The Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, a part of the China Academy of Sciences, would be implementing the three-year project aimed at helping Tajikistan farmers adopt comprehensive measures to prevent and control pests and insects that attack cotton crop.
As per the Sino-Tajik agreement, Chinese scientists will create 10 to 12 observation points for pests in Tajikistan, over the next three years. The observation points will be used to monitor insect and pest control.
The researchers from the Xinjiang institute would also train a large of people from the local agricultural science and technology institutes. They would train them on biological and physical control techniques as well as on a range of applications.
This would be China’s first export of cotton production technology to Tajikistan.
Xinjiang is China’s largest high-quality cotton producing area, which has efficient water-saving and integrated pest prevention and control system.
Tajikistan is an important cotton-producing country in Central Asia. In recent years, cotton production in Tajikistan has reportedly been significantly affected by large-scale pest and insect attacks.
Meanwhile, representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) of Tajikistan say they have not yet been informed of that project and it will probably be implemented at the level of farming units.
Last year, cotton productivity in Tajikistan was reportedly 2.1 tons per one hectare and Tajik farmers are expected to raise the cotton productivity this year to 2.5 tons per one hectare.
In 2012, Tajik farmers yielded some 417,000 tons of raw cotton from 200,000 hectares. Over the first five months of this year, Tajikistan has exported cotton and cotton fiber for 128,000 USD.
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.
