DUSHANBE, October 4, 2014, Asia-Plus – Tajik farming units are taking measures to gather cotton on time.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), Tajik cotton growers have yielded 206,364 tons of raw cotton by October 3, which comprises 50 percent of the preliminary forecast.

An official source at a MoA says that under the preliminary cotton crop forecast Tajik cotton growing districts are expected to yield 408,000 tons of raw cotton this year.

Meanwhile, the real volume of this year’s cotton crop is projected at 366,000 tons, which is 30,000 tons few than last year, the source noted.

Current average yield of cotton per hectare is reportedly 2.0 tons, which is 1.6 tons fewer than last year.  The MoA specialists, however, hope that the average cotton yields will increase.

Cotton growers of the southern Khatlon province have yielded 150,100 tons for raw cotton by October 3.  The Sughd cotton growing districts have yielded 50,100 tons of raw cotton by October 3, and the cotton growing districts subordinate to the center have yielded 6,100 tons of raw cotton by October 3.