DUSHANBE, November 20, 2012, Asia-Plus  -- By November 20, Tajik cotton growers have yielded nearly 410,000 tons of raw cotton, which is more than 2 percent more than this year’s cotton target that has been determined at 401,000 tons of raw cotton, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).

Cotton growers in the southern Khatlon province are continuing to gather cotton in addition to their obligation, an official source at a MoA said.   

We will recall that a cotton-harvesting campaign in Tajikistan has started with a one-month delay this year because of continuous rains during the spring.

This year, Tajik farmers have planted cotton on some 200,000 hectares.  Last year, 203,000 hectares were allocated to cotton cultivation and farmers produced 403,000 tons of cotton in 2011.

Cotton makes an important contribution to both the agricultural sector and the national economy.  Cotton accounts for some 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.