DUSHANBE, February 22, Asia-Plus  -- 236,893 hectares of farmland sown with various crops have been to date ploughed up in Tajikistan, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection (MoAEP).  

The source at a MoAEP said that this year they plan to plant cotton on 214,425 hectares of lands.  “So far, cotton farmers have ploughed up 99,320 hectares of areas under cotton, which 40 percent of areas to be sown with cotton this year,” the source said.  

In the Sughd province, 24,735 hectares or 41 percent of 7of 61,154 hectares of lands sown with cotton have been ploughed up so far, in Khatlon – 58,472 hectares of 161,230 hectares (36 percent) and in districts subordinate to the center (RRPs) – 16,000 hectares of 19,041 hectares (84 percent).   

In the meantime, the country’s cotton-ginning factories have to date stocked 26,686 tons of cotton seeds.  Of them, only 8,202 tons have been treated so far.  

 Besides, 60 tons of cotton seeds are expected to arrive from Turkey.