Tajikistan’s cotton growers are taking measures to gather cotton on time and fulfill this year’s target, which has been determined at 368,000 tons of cotton.

This year, the cotton-harvesting campaign started in early September and the cotton-growing districts have yielded 175,000 tons of raw cotton by October 6, which comprises nearly 50 percent of this year's target, according to the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA).

An official source at a MoA says more than 71,000 people are currently working in cotton fields and they yield more than 71,000 tons of raw cotton per day.  

This year, more than 162,500 hectares of farmlands in Tajikistan have been allocated to cotton cultivation.

Cotton growers in the southern Khatlon province this year have planted cotton on more than 155,000 hectares, Sughd province – about 44,200 hectares, and districts subordinate to the center – more than 2,800 hectares.    

Last year, Tajik cotton growers yielded little more than 270,000 tons of raw cotton from 160,000 hectares.