KULOB, October 31, 2009, Asia-Plus -- Five cotton-growing districts in Khatlon’s Kulob zone have reached 87.24 percent of this year’s cotton target by October 30, having yielded 46,248 tons of raw cotton, Asia-plus has learned from Abdullo Rajabov, a leading specialist with the Kulob agriculture directorate.

According to him, some 15,000 people now work in the cotton fields every day, picking on average 25 kilograms of cotton each.

Cotton growers in the Kulob zone have to pick some 7,000 other tons of cotton in order to fulfill their target, Rajabov said.