DUSHANBE, November 21, Asia-Plus - The republic yielded only 284 tons of cotton yesterday.

Saidmurod Bahriddinov, the head of the department for industrial crops of the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), said that the cotton harvesting campaign might be stopped at all because of snow falling.  

According to him, the republic has gathered 439,123 tons of cotton by November 21, which comprises 80.3 percent of this year’s target that has been determined at 547,000 tons.  

“Last year, Tajikistan gathered 447,918 tons of cotton while the target was determined at 447,918 tons of cotton,” the MoA official said, noting that in 2005, farmers gathered cotton until December.  This year, the country will not fulfill the national cotton target again, according to Bahriddinov.  

Cotton growers in Khatlon have yielded 257,735 tons of cotton to this day, which is 78.3 percent of their target, which is 329,000 tons.    

Districts subordinate to the center (RRP) have yielded 48,522 tons of cotton by November 21, which is 103.9 percent of their target determined at 46,700 tons of cotton.

Sughd has gathered 132,866 tons of cotton by November 21, which is 77.6 percent of its target.  The Sughd province has pledged to produce 171,300 tons of cotton this year.