DUSHANBE, February 28, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- 179 farming units in the Sughd and Khatlon province have paid off cotton loans received from Amonatbonk (Tajikistan’s savings bank), the head of Amonatbonk’s loan department Nazrikhudo Shukrikhudoyev said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

According to him, these cotton-growing farms last year received totaling 18.8 million somoni in loans from the bank for cotton sowing and harvesting campaign.

“The bank has returned 12.5 million, including 1.1 million somoni interest, to the government to this date,” said Shukrikhudoyev.  “The remaining part of the amount received from the government will have been paid off by April 1 this year.”

In all, Amonatbonk last year received 40 million somoni from the government for providing loans to cotton farmers; the loans were provided to 548 farming units at 18 percent annual interest.

The Amonabonk official noted that the farming units that had paid off their debts might receive fresh financing for this year.

We will recall that the government last year distributed 140 million somoni to five banks, including Orinebonk, Agroinvestbonk, Amonabonk, Tojik Sodirot Bonk (TSB) and TajPromBank, at 12 percent annual interest.