QURGHON TEPPA, December 26, 2008, Asia-Plus -- Because of world cotton prices falls and lack of buyers, cotton-growing farms in the Khatlon province cannot realize their output, Fayzali Mahmadiyev, head of the quality and standard department within the Khatlon agriculture directorate said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

According to him, Khatlon farmers have yielded 239,277 tons of cotton this year and practically the whole cotton harvest is still at cotton-ginning factories and warehouses.

“The rate of cotton at the exchange has dropped to 850 dollars, and realizing cotton at this rate farming units will scarcely be able to pay off their debts to banks,” Mahmadiyev said, noting that if the government does not provide means to support farms the cotton farmers will be hard pressed.

Some farm heads from the Bokhtar district, who did not want to be named, said if the government does not take measures to stop their rising debts the majority of farming units in the province will become bankrupt.

Commenting on farmers’ views, the Khatlon agriculture directorate head Sadullo Beknazarov noted that that loans provided to farms had been allocated from budgetary funds and they should be returned.  “But if the government decides to freeze interest money it would good support for our farmers,” Beknazarov said.