DUSHANBE, February 22, Asia-Plus  -- On Tuesday February 21, Agriculture Minister Voris Madaminov met with representatives from futures companies and the Khatlon cotton-growing farms.

Saidmurod Bahriddinov, head of the Agriculture Ministry cotton department, has told Asia-Plus that their talks focused on preparations for sowing campaign and timely provision of farming units with fuel and mineral fertilizers.  

According to Bahriddinov, the Tajik central bank head Murodali Alimardonov, who also attended the meeting, “promised to timely provide funds to investors for purchase of all necessary things.”   

We will recall that this year, areas under cotton will have been cut down by 38,000 hectares and the national cotton target for 2006 has been determined at 550,000 tons.  As it had been reported earlier, due to reduction of areas under cotton by 38,000 hectares the areas under grain crops will have increased by 13,200 hectares this year.