Tajikistan's cotton exports drop 63.6% in Q1

25 Apr '14

2 min read

The export of cotton fibre from the Central Asian country of Tajikistan decreased by 63.6 percent or US$ 54.7 million in the first quarter of the current year, according to the Customs Service of the Republic, avesta news agency reported.

In January-March 2013, Tajikistan earned $32.6 million from cotton exports, compared to exports worth $87.3 million made during the corresponding period of last year.

Tajikistan’s cotton exports were mainly destined to Turkey, Iran, Russia and Latvia during the three-month period.

In 2013, Tajikistan produced 392,000 tons of cotton, about 3.6 percent lower than the target set for the year, mainly due to a decline in area under cotton, following the Government’s directive to increase areas under fruits, vegetables and fodder crops.

Other reasons for the decline in cotton production were the fall in international cotton prices, shortage of water during the harvest period, and lack of proper access to preferential loans for farming units.

For 2014, the Tajikistan Government has not set any cotton production target.

Cotton has always been among the leading export items for Tajikistan and cotton and cotton products accounted for 18.6 percent share in the country’s exports in 2012, earning US$ 244.8 million.

Earlier this year, Minister of Agriculture Qosim Qosimov said that cotton is no longer a strategic crop for Tajikistan and its production would be gradually reduced to about 200,000 tons. The Minister said that cotton production in Tajikistan is fraught with high costs as the country imports fertilizers and agricultural machinery, and by reducing land for cotton, the Government intends to increase availability of land for growing other crops.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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