DUSHANBE, April 2, Asia-Plus  -- The Sughd province has launched a cotton-sowing campaign and cotton farmers in northern Tajikistan have to date planted cotton of 3,552 hectares, Asia-Plus has learned at the industrial and grain crops department within the Ministry of Agriculture.  

The Sughd farmers plan to plant cotton on 76,570 hectares this year.  

3,305 cotton-growing farms now function in ten districts of northern Tajikistan.  

In the meantime, the Khatlon province will plant cotton on 160,000 hectares; the Khatlon farmers have to date planted cotton on 27,225 hectares (17 percent). 

Districts subordinate to the center (RRPs) plan to plant cotton on 17,182 hectares.  Cotton farmers in this area have planted cotton on 1,022 hectares (5.9 percent) so far.      

The republic has planted cotton 31,799 hectares by April 2.  In all, Tajikistan will plant cotton on 253,752 hectares.