DUSHANBE, October 27, Asia-Plus - Futures companies have raised wages of cotton farmers, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA). 

A source at a MoA said that the government and businesses met in mid-October to discuss the progress of the cotton harvesting campaign.  The government charged the futures companies to raise the wages of cotton farmers.  

Deputy Agriculture Minister, Qodir Qosimov, said in an interview with Asia-Plus that since the end of last week, cotton farmers in the country have received from 0.15 to 0.20 somoni per kilogram, depending on the type of cotton.  “Before that, futures companies had paid them from 0.10 to 0.15 somoni,” Qosimov said, noting that such a decision was made to speed up the cotton-picking campaign.   

According to him, the large futures companies in Tajikistan are Hima, Olimi Karimzod, Ismoili Somoni-21 ^st Century and Khujand Cotton.  

According to MoA, Tajikistan has yielded 403,369 tons of cotton by October 26, which is 73.7 percent of the national target, which has been set at 547,000 tons.  Cotton-growing farms in Khatlon have yielded 237,197 tons of cotton so far, which is 72.1 percent of the target.  They have pledged to produce 329,000 tons of cotton this year.  Sughd province has yielded 119,960 tons of cotton by October 26, which is 70 percent of its target determined at 171,300 tons.  Cotton growing-farms districts subordinate to the center (central Tajikistan) have gathered 46,212 tons of cotton or 99 percent of the target by October 26. Their target is 46,700 tons of cotton.