DUSHANBE, June 25, 2009, Asia-Plus  -- During his visit to the Zafarobod district, President Emomali Rahmon today met with local residents.

According to presidential press service, the president informed them about achievement reached by the country over the past five years and the government’s plans for reaching energy independence.

During the meeting, Rahmon noted that over the first five months of this year, the district has produced industrial goods 55 percent fewer than in the same period of 2008, the press service said.  He urged to speed up construction of the spinning mill in Zafarobod that would have the capacity of processing 2,000 tons of cotton fiber and would create 250 new jobs for local residents.

Speaking to the local residents, Rahmon said that he was well aware of problems facing the district.  One of them is major repairs to local pump stations.  The president charged the Ministry of Land Reclamation and Water Resources (MLRWR) and local authorities of the Sughd province and the Zafarobod district to take adequate measures to solve the problem.

The president also met with representatives of agrarian sector while visiting several farming units in Zafarobod.  Rahmon noted that 2 million somoni would be allocated from the republican budget for Zafarobod this year and the same amount would be allocated next year.