DUSHANBE, November 21, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- Speaking to reporters in Dushanbe on November 20, Safar Mahmadiyev, the head of the economic policy and prognosis department within the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), said that they would reduce areas under cotton in 2009. 

Next year, cotton will be planted on an area of 250,000 hectares, which is 3,000 hectares less than this year, he said.   

Noting that although cotton makes an important contribution to both the agricultural sector and the national economy, Mahmadiyev noted that it was decided to reduce areas under cotton due to increasing areas of irrigated lands under cereals, potatoes and other agricultural crops necessary to provide food security of the country.    

“”This year, farmers have planted cotton on 253,000 hectares, but it sprouted on only 237,000 hectares,” said Mahmadiyev, “Last year, cotton was planted on 254,279 hectares and 419,297 tons of cotton were yielded from them, which was 76.3 percent of the 2007 cotton target determined at 547,000 tons.”   

According to him, farmers have yielded some 331,000 tons of cotton to this date, which is 84,000 tons fewer than by the same date of last year.     

He added that shortage of water and mineral fertilizers had affected this year’s cotton harvest.  

         As far as provision of farming units with agricultural machines is concerned, the MoA official noted that 1,200 tractors had been delivered to the country over the past two years.