KHUJAND, July 2, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Cotton farmers in the northern Sughd province are being behind of the schedule of land treatment work, according to the Sughd agricultural directorate.

The source at the regional agricultural directorate said that local farmers were behind the land treatment schedule because they did not have enough funds for additional fertilizing of cotton fields.  “Because of slow pace of investment in the cotton sector 10,000 hectares of cotton fields in the province have not yet been fertilized,” the source said.

As of June 26, 2009, cotton farmers in Sughd have received 19.055 million somoni, including a 14.789 million somoni government credit and 2.54 million somoni from private investors, which is much fewer than of the same date of last year.  Cotton-growing farms in northern Tajikistan had received more than 51 million somoni in loans from banks and investors by June 26, 2008, according to the source,

The Sughd cotton farmers plan to yield 143,000 tons of raw cotton this year.