Local authorities in various regions of Tajikistan, citing the minutes of the government meeting held in January of this year about fulfilling the cotton sowing target in the country, are forcing farmers and agricultural enterprises to plant cotton on their lands. In some regions, even wheat and barley crops are being destroyed, with the demand that farmers replace them with “white gold” (cotton).
Readers of Asia-Plus sent the copy of the minutes to the editorial office, complaining about the actions of local authorities.
"A chairman of Spitamen district (Sughd province) arrived, violated the sowing of wheat and barley, said that 75% of the land must be sown with cotton, and is forcing farmers to suffer. Please look into this issue,” one farmer from the district wrote.
The copy of the minutes of the meeting, to which local authorities are referring and which became available to the editorial office, states that "the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister, the Aide to the President for Personnel Affairs, the Minister of Agriculture, the heads of regions, cities, and districts, etc., are instructed, considering the alarming situation in the cotton industry and the failure to meet the sowing and production plan for cotton in 2024, to take measures to rectify the situation and submit monthly reports."
The document also states that "if the plan is not fulfilled in 2025, disciplinary measures will be taken in the established manner, including dismissal from the position."
Before the minutes emerged, farmers in Tajikistan were already concerned that local authorities would once again force them to sow cotton. They argued that they had spent money on sowing other crops, but authorities were demanding that they destroy those crops and replace them with cotton.
Meanwhile, Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service, known locally as Radio Ozodi, Radio Ozodi a few days ago published a video material in which, according to users of this resource, "in Roudaki district, already germinated wheat crops were destroyed, and cotton was sown instead."
Officially, there are no cases of coercion
The Ministry of Agriculture confirmed the existence of the minutes regarding the cotton sowing target. They stated that the ministry had prepared a program to implement the plan, which “includes the use of climate-resistant seeds, sowing under film, conducting seminars with the involvement of scientists and industry specialists on agro-technical practices for sowing and growing, and several other activities.”
However, the ministry stated that no cases of coercion of farmers to plant cotton had occurred, and "no complaints have been received on this matter."
Qurbon Hakimzoda, the Minister of Agriculture, during his latest news conference, criticized local authorities for interfering in the activities of farmers: “Local authorities do not have the right to interfere in the activities of farmers, and the issue of forced sowing can be resolved through advance financing for farmers and the introduction of a procurement system.”
He emphasized that agricultural producers are free to choose crops to sow and can sell cotton on the open market.
It is worth noting that 2024 was a difficult year for cotton farmers in Tajikistan. Farmers faced economic and climatic problems, resulting in a smaller harvest. In 2023, the country harvested 344,400 tons of cotton, while in 2024, the figure was 253,200 tons (a 26.5% decrease).
Last year, agricultural producers also spoke about problems related to cotton cultivation: forced sowing and unfavorable conditions for production.
