DUSHANBE, October 29, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- Cotton-growing farms in Khatlon’s Shahritus district are the first in the country to fulfill their this year’s cotton target, having yielded 9,200 tons of raw cotton by October 28, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).

Khatlon province has yielded 174,800 tons of cotton by October 28.  Farmers in Khatlon have pledged to produce 223,000 tons of cotton this year.

Farming units in the northern Sughd province have gathered some 70,000 tons of cotton so far; their target is 109,000 kilograms of cotton.

Districts subordinate to the center (central Tajikistan) have yielded 7,700 tons of cotton by October 28.  Their target is 17,800 tons of cotton.

The republic has yielded 252,200 tons of raw cotton by October 28, which comprises 72.2 percent of this year’s target, which has been determined at 350,000 tons of raw cotton, the source at a MoA said.