DUSHANBE, June 22, Asia-Plus -- By June 22, Tajik farmers have produced some 100,000 tons of grains from 47,000 hectares, Qutfullo Ziyodulloyev, head of the crop production department within the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), told Asia-Plus Wednesday afternoon.

Average grain yields are 2.55 tons per hectare, Ziyodulloyev said, noting that this year, farmers have planted grains on 299,100 hectares.  80 percent of fields have been sown with wheat.

The grain harvesting campaign is progressing in all regions of the country, except Gorno Badakhshan where grains have not yet ripened.

Farmers in the northern Sughd province have planted grains on 94,000 hectares this year and they have yielded 6,600 tons of grains from some 5,000 hectares.

Khatlon farmers have allotted 140,000 hectares to the grain cultivation and they have yielded some 84,000 tons of grains from 37,700 hectares so far.

Districts subordinate to the center have planted grains on 59,400 hectares and they have yielded 3,600 tons of grains from 4,100 hectares to this day.  

Specialists expect local farmers to produce at least 1.2 million tons of cereals this year. 

In 2010, grain crops were planted on 333,000 hectares, including 242,200 hectares allocated to wheat.  Last year, Tajik farmers yielded 1.2613 million tons of cereals, including 91,821 tons of wheat.  An average yield was 2.28 tons per hectare.  In 2009, Tajik farmers produced 1.4 million tons of cereals from 463,000 hectares; an average yield was 2.4 tons per hectare.

Current Tajikistan’s annual requirements in wheat are estimated at 1.429 million tons and in wheat flour at 1.043 million tons.