DUSHANBE, July 16, 2015, Asia-Plus — Tajik farmers are expected to yield no less than 390,000 tons of cotton this year, the Minister of Agriculture Mahmadtohir Zokirov announced at a news conference in Dushanbe on July 16.
“By June 1, cotton growers have planted cotton on 162,000 hectares, which is 90.2 percent of the target,” said the minister. “Compared to the last year areas under cotton have been reduced by nearly 17,400 hectares.”
According to him, the spring torrential rains have led to the reduction in areas under cotton.
“The ministry has set up working groups to asses actual damage caused to the agrarian sector by the bad weather conditions,” the minister said, noting that concrete figures of the forecast cotton harvest will be published only after those groups will complete their works.
“Anyway, we expect that no less than 390,000 tons of raw cotton will be yielded this year,” Zokirov added.
We will recall that Tajik cotton growers last year yielded 390,000 tons of raw cotton from 178,000 hectares.
