KONIBODOM, October 16, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- The Konibodom district has reached 52.8 percent of this year’s target, having yielded 9,241 tons of cotton by October 16, first deputy Konibodom mayor, Solijon Bouriyev, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.  Their target is 17,500 tons of cotton.  

“Like previous years, the farming unit named after Enajon Boymatova is in the lead, having reached 73 percent of its target to this date,” said the deputy mayor, “Of nine dehqan (peasant) farms’ associations operating in the district, five have reached 60 percent of their targets.” 

In the meantime, Bouriyev noted that shortage of water might affect the pace of the cotton-harvesting campaign in the district.  

On October 16, 3,200 volunteers, including 750 students of local vocational-technical schools, some 1,500 employees of the education sector and senior school students and 150 medical workers, helped Konibodom farmers gather cotton.  Konibodom farmers and their helpers yielded more than 2,560 tons of cotton on Thursday.  

In all, the Sughd province has yielded more than 65,000 tons by October 16, which comprises some 38 percent of this year''s target.  The Sughd farmers have pledged to yield 172,100 tons of cotton this year.