KULOB, April 15, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Branches of commercial banks and microfinance organizations operating in the Kulob zone, Khatlon province have begun providing loans to local farming units for this years’ cotton harvesting campaign.

According to the branch of the National Bank of Tajikistan (NBT) in Kulob, branches of Amonatbonk (Tajikistan’s savings banks), Agroinvestbonk and Tojik Sodirot Bonk (TSB) have already received loan applications from 44 cotton producing farms for a total amount of 3.6988 million somoni.

To-date, Agroinvestbonk’s main branch in Kulob has given 302,000 somoni in loans to local cotton farmers and Amonatbonk’s branch in Kulob has provided 180,000 somoni in loans to farmers in the Kulob district.

In the Kulob district, the branches of Agroinvestbonk. Amonatbonk and TSB will fund cultivation of cotton on an area of 1,572 hectares in the Kulob district, the source said.

In all, there are four cotton producing district in Kulob zone.