DUSHANBE, Kulob, August 31, Asia-Plus — Though a cotton-harvesting campaign in northern Tajikistan officially starts on September 1, many districts in the province have already started selective collection of cotton.   

According to the Sughd agriculture directorate, separate cotton-growing farms in Konibodom, Jabborrasulov, Bobojonghafruov and Asht district have already begun gathering cotton. 

Cotton farmers in Sughd have pledged to produce 171,300 tons of cotton this year. 

In the meantime, the cotton-harvesting campaign in southern Tajikistan is in full swing. 

Tohir Sodiqov, the head of the industrial crops department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection (MoAEP), said cotton-growing farmers in the Khatlon province have yielded 29,883 tons of cotton by August 30.  On August 29, cotton farmers in Khatlon produced some 4,000 tons of cotton.  The target of the southern Khatlon province for this year is 330,500 tons. 

  The districts subordinate to the center (RRPs) have pledged to yield 48,200 tons of cotton this year.  

The national target for 2007 has been determined at 550,000 tons of cotton.     

The Kulob agriculture directorate said that all five cotton-growing districts of the Kulob region of Khatlon had also joined the cotton-harvesting campaign. 

Rajabali Kulabekov, a chief agronomist with the Kulob agriculture directorate, told Asia-Plus that cotton farmers in the region have yielded 2,345 tons of cotton by August 30.  They have pledged to produce 79,000 tons of cotton this year.  

The Kulob mayor Homid Abdulloyev said in an interview with Asia-Plus that some farmers that had concluded contracts with the cotton-ginning factory Pakhtai Kulob, which now acts as futures company, have not yet received pay for their work in May-June.