KHUJAND, October 11, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- The Asht district is the third in the northern Sughd province to fulfill its cotton target, following Konibodom and Spitamen.

According to the Sughd main agriculture directorate, cotton growers of the Asht district have yielded 8,703 tons of raw cotton, which is 101.03 percent of the target.

The province has yielded 94,718 tons of raw cotton by October 11, which comprises 84.19 percent of this year’s target.  The Sughd cotton target for this year has been determined at 112,500 tons of cotton.

This year, cotton growers in northern Tajikistan have planted cotton on 61,000 hectares of lands.

In 2011, 65,402 hectares of lands were allocated to cotton cultivation in Sughd province and local farmers yielded 117,000 tons of cotton, which was 12,000 tons more than it was originally planned.

Cotton makes an important contribution to both the agricultural sector and the national economy. Cotton accounts for 60 percent of agricultural output, supports 75 percent of the rural population, and uses 45 percent of irrigated arable land. At the national level, it is an important source of both export earnings and tax revenue. Tajikistan is the world’s fourth largest exporter of cotton, and there is strong demand on international markets for its high quality product.