DUSHANBE, Aril 20, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- The Ministry of Agriculture (MoA) has developed an agrarian reform program designed for 2011-2020.

Rustam Qudratov, director of the Center of Advanced Training for Agricultural, says a MoA, which is currently the controlling body, will gradually become the stimulating body.

“The program has been developed by a working group comprising nine specialists, who have studied  experience of foreign agriculture departments during two years,” said Qudratov.  “The program will be submitted for consideration to the government in the near future.”

The program will be implemented in three stages: 1) the first stage (2011-2012) includes development and adoption of appropriate statutory and legal acts; 2) the second stage (2012-2015) stipulates introduction of a new system of management and diversification of agrarian sector and creation of farm produce marketing structure; and 3) the third stage stipulates growth in agricultural production due to producers’ profits.

The program aims to stimulate farmers’ interest in food and cash crop production using economic tools (taxes, export, import) and creating favorable conditions for agricultural production growth, Qudratov noted.

He added that donor have endorsed the agrarian reform program for 2011-2020 and promised to support it.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the country’s agrarian sector meets only 60 percent of annual population’s requirements in farm produce.  Over the first three months of this year, Tajikistan has reportedly produced a total of 514.9 million somoni worth of agricultural goods, which is 34.93 million somoni, or 7.3 percent, more than in the same period last year.