DUSHANBE, August 13, 2008, Asia-Plus  -- The Center for Strategic Studies is hosting a conference formally titled “”Measures to Settle Debts of Cotton-growing Farms and Implementation of National Commission’s Information Strategy” tomorrow.  

The conference is aiming to consider issues related to problems and measure to settle debts of the cotton-growing farms, press coverage of agricultural reforms and the debt resettlement process. 

The conference participants include representatives from relevant ministries and organizations dealing with agriculture, especially the cotton sector.   

The conference is organized by the Center for Strategic Studies under support of the UNDP CO Tajikistan and the Canada International Development Agency (CIDA).  

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, as of January 1, 2008, Tajik cotton farmers have owed $409 million to their creditors.  A new mechanism of financing of the cotton sector has been introduced in Tajikistan this year.  Under this mechanism, the cotton-growing farms are funded by loans provided by banks.  There are 34 cotton-growing farms in Tajikistan; of them 19 are in Khatlon, 10 in Sughd and 5 of them are districts subordinate to the center.  

Cotton makes an important contribution to both the agricultural sector and the national economy.  Cotton accounts for 60 percent of agricultural output, supports 75 percent of the rural population, and uses 45 percent of irrigated arable land. At the national level, it is an important source of both export earnings and tax revenue.  Tajikistan is the world’s fourth largest exporter of cotton, and there is strong demand on international markets for its high quality product.