Turkmen President asks observance of cotton farming rules

04 Apr '13

2 min read

Calling attention of several regional administration heads towards slow pace of cotton sowing in the country, Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov has asked them to strictly ensure observance of all the farming rules and agronomic standards while undertaking cotton cultivation, en.trend.az reported.

Cotton cultivation kicked off on 550,000 hectares in the country during late March. In view of the soil and weather conditions, cultivation of pricey fine-fibre cotton would be undertaken only in the Mary and Akhal velayats’ provinces of the country.

Speaking at a meeting, Mr. Berdymuhamedov pointed at the reduced rate of cotton sowing and below standard production of agricultural machinery, mainly in Tejen etraps and Altyn Asyr districts of Akhal velayat province, Mary and Altyn Sahra atraps of Mary velayat and Birat etrap and Seydi town of Lebap velayat’s serdarabat etrap.

He said it is only through strict observance of farming rules and agronomic standards that they can create a strong base for future cultivation of cotton.

Cotton is the key input for Turkmenistan’s burgeoning textile industry which has 36 cotton mills.

Last year, the country harvested around 1.235 million tons of cotton, up 12.6 percent year-on-year.

Turkmenistan exports raw cotton to Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, China, Turkey, Britain, Indonesia, Iran, Singapore and the Baltic countries.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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