DUSHANBE, June 10, Asia-Plus  -- Some districts in southern Tajikistan have started grain-harvesting campaign, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).

Tohir Sodiqov, the head of the MoA department for grains and industrial crops, told Asia-Plus today that the mass grain-harvesting campaign is expected to start next week.  

According to him, Tajik farmers have harvested wheat from an area of 6,200 hectares so far, which 5,000 hectares more than in the same period of last year.  The wheat-harvesting campaign is currently going on in a number of districts of the Khatlon province.  

This year, farmers have planted wheat on the area of 275,940 hectares; more than 140,000 hectares of this area are under winter wheat, the MoA official said, noting that the mentioned areas do not include sown areas of the population.