DUSHANBE, July 25, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- Tajikistan has harvested some 255,000 tons of cereals by July 24, which is 63,500 tons more than in the same period of last year, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).  

The source at a MoA said that those 255,000 tons of cereals had bee harvested from 145,444 hectares.  This year, farmers have planted cereals on an area of totaling 291,447 hectares.  Of them, 146,786 hectares, mainly irrigated lands, have been sown with wheat.  Grain growers plan to harvested 700,000 tons of wheat this year.     

Up to 430 grain harvester combines are currently working in the fields, harvesting grains from 4-5 hectares per day, according to the source.    

We will recall that last year, Tajik farmers harvested 931,204 tons of cereals, including 649,403 tons of wheat, from 273,403 hectares.  

Tajikistan’s annual requirements in wheat are 1.2 million tons, while wheat harvested in the country may meet only 50 percent of the country’s annual requirements.