DUSHANBE, October 22, 2014, Asia-Plus – Tajik farming units are taking measures to gather cotton on time.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), the country’s cotton growing districts have yielded more than 286,000 tons of raw cotton by October 22, which is more than 70 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.

Cotton growers of the southern Khatlon province have yielded more than 200 tons for raw cotton by October 22.  The Sughd cotton growing districts have yielded 78,000 tons of raw cotton by October 22, and the cotton growing districts subordinate to the center have yielded 8,300 tons of raw cotton by October 22.

This year, Tajik farmers have planted cotton on 178,000 hectares and the cotton-harvesting campaign began this year after August 20.

Last year, Tajik cotton growers produced 395,000 tons of raw cotton from 192,000 hectares.