International experts note that cotton prices surged to a 10-year high on October 29, reaching US$1.16 per pound and touching levels not seen since July 7, 2011.
Growth in cotton prices in the world market has helped Tajik cotton growing farmers sell their products twice as expensive as last year.
Experts note that increases in consumer prices for cotton are the result of shortages and shipping delays caused by COVID-19 shutdowns in the supply chain as well as the impact of severe weather on crops paired with a boom in demand for household goods since the pandemic started.
Today, cotton is used not only in textile industry, but also in military and medical industries and other areas of production.
Meanwhile, Tajik cotton growers are taking measures to gather cotton on time and fulfill the national cotton target, which has been determined at more than 400,000 tons.
According to the press center of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the country’s cotton-growing farms have yielded 350,397 tons of raw cotton by November 1, which is 25,000 tons more than in the same period last year.
Cotton growers in Khatlon province have reportedly yielded about 280,000 tons of raw cotton by November 1.
Cotton growing districts in the northern Sughd province have reportedly yielded about 134,000 tons of raw cotton by November 1.
Districts subordinated to the center (RRP) have yielded only 8,000 tons of raw cotton by November 1, the MoA press center says.
According to the MoA Crop Production Directorate, Tajik farmers this year have reportedly planted cotton on about 175,000 hectares.
This year, cotton pickers have received on average 1.00 somoni for one kilogram of raw cotton (in 2020, cotton pickers received on average 50 diram for one kilogram of raw cotton).
Meanwhile, the cotton growing farms themselves deliver raw cotton to the buyers at the rate of 8.00-11.00 somonis. Last year, the cotton growing farms delivered raw cotton to the buyers at the rate of 4.00-5.00 somonis.
The experts have calculated that taking into consideration the rise in prices for the services of machinery and fertilizers, current production costs of one kilogram of raw cotton are at least 6.00 — 8.00 somonis.
According to data from the Customs Service under the Government of Tajikistan, Tajikistan has exported US$135 million worth of about 72,000 of cotton over the first nine months of this year.
