DUSHANBE, July 10, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- The government has given a 24 million somoni credit to farming units through Amonatbonk (Tajikistan’s savings bank) this year so far, the Amonatbonk head Mahmadamin Mahmadaminov remarked at a press conference in Dushanbe on July 8.

According to him, the funds have been distributed to farmers in Khatlon and Sughd provinces.

In all, 35 million somoni of state funds are expected to be provided to farmers through Amonabonk this year.

Mahmadaminov reminded that last year, the government gave a 40 million credit to cotton farmers through his bank and only 59 percent of that has been repaid to this date.  “The fall in the international prices of cotton and in demand for the product has hurt farmers and they failed to repay the loans in time,” the Amonabonk head said.

We will recall that the farmers’ loans were due by April 1, 2009, but the government postponed debt repayments for farmers until the end of the year.