DUSHANBE, April 20, 2011, Asia-Plus -- President Emomali Rahmon has ordered the government to work out a new long-term program for development of new and abandoned lands through attraction of investments.

According to him, this decision is connected with the fact that over the past twenty years, many lands have been allotted for housing and household farms.  “There is no other way to increase agricultural lands and agricultural production,” the president stressed.

He noted that the country’s population has grown nearly 2 percent annually over past twenty years and the current population of Tajikistan is some 7.5 million.

“Following that population growth, 120 hectares of lands have been allotted to the population for housing and household farms and 75,000 more hectares of irrigated lands have been distributed to the population as “presidential lands” for agricultural production,” said the president, “Thereby, 200,000 hectares of lands have been withdrawn from efficient use.  Besides, 70,000-80,000 other hectares of lands that had previously been irrigated by means of pump stations are now used as pastures or abandoned at all.”

In this connection, he pointed to the necessity of working out special programs for development of new and abandoned lands.

Over the past five years, 5.2 billion somoni, including joint investments and bank loans, have gone to enhancing the agrarian sector, Rahmon noted.

“This year alone, 1.3 billion somoni have been invested in the agrarian sector,” added the president.  “Currently, 14 investment projects are being implemented in the agrarian sector.  Besides, 430 million somoni have been allocated from the national budget in form of preferential loans to support farming units over the past three years.”