KULOB, April 21, 2010, Asia-Plus  -- Recent heavy rains have damaged 300 hectares of cotton fields in the Hamadoni district, Khatlon province, Abdullo Rajabov, a lead specialist with the Kulob agriculture directorate, said I an interview with Asia-Plus.

According to him, Hamadoni farmers will have to re-sow cotton on these fields.  The remaining four cotton producing districts in the Kulob zone have also been affected by bad weather and they will also have to re-sow cotton on hundreds of hectares.

The cotton-sowing campaign is currently going in the Kulob zone one-two days late, Rajabov added.

This year, the Kulob zone has allocated 31,268 hectares to cotton cultivation and local farmers have planted cotton on some 19,000 hectares to this day.