KULOB, October 19, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- To completely repay their loans taken from Amonatbonk (Tajikistan’s savings bank) last year farming units in four cotton-growing districts of Khatlon’s Kulob zone have to pay only 23,085 somoni, Rahabali Kulabekov, an agronomic expert with Amonatbonk’s branch in Kulob, said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

Last year, Amonatbonk provided 8.22 million somoni in loans to 228 cotton-growing farms in the Kulob zone.  “The only debtor among them is the farming unit, Soveti Oli, in the Hamadoni district,” said Kulabekov, “However, I am sure the farm will be able pay off its debts until November 1.”

According to him, farmers are successfully repaying not only the principal of the government credit but also interest on the loan.

The agronomic expert added that some farms had already begun repaying loans taken from the bank for this year’s cotton-harvesting campaign.  “This year, the bank has provided 7,362,400 somoni in loans to 186 farming units in the area and farms in three districts have already repaid 965,949 somoni,” Kulabekov said.