DUSHANBE, April 3, Asia-Plus -- Recent rainfalls affected an official launch of the cotton-sowing campaign in the country that was set for April 1, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection (MoAEP). 

The source at a MoAEP noted, “Despite bad weather conditions, the cotton-sowing campaign in some districts of the Khatlon province started on March 25.”  Cotton farmers in Khatlon have to date sown cotton on 15,000 hectares of farmland.   

According to the source, the cotton-sowing campaign in the northern province of Sughd will start on April 5-10.  

“Last year, the cotton-sowing campaign was launched in early April,” said the source, “But in 2006, good weather conditions favored the beginning of the sowing campaign.” 

This year, Tajikistan is planned to have yielded 550,000 tons of cotton from 262,000 hectares.  Last year, cotton farmers gathered 440,000 tons of cotton from 257,000 hectares, the source said.