Textile sector aims to process full cotton output

22 Mar '10

2 min read

The cotton crop in Tajikistan, which accounted for 8.5 percent of the country's total export in the period January-October 2009, was a witness to its output falling to 295,800 tons, down by 51,300 tons, when compared with 2008.

However, despite the fall in production, cotton yield went up from 14.8 centners per hectare to 17.4 centners per hectare (1 centner = 100 kilograms), which is 2.6 centners more than that achieved in 2008.

At the beginning of the sowing in the current cotton season, the government had targeted to cultivate 200,700 hectares, but due to heavy rains during the sowing season, the area under cotton was reduced to 170,400 hectares.

In 2009, the government had promised to allocate 180 million somoni ($1= 4.35 somoni), for holistic development of the cotton sector, however, towards the end of 2009, it had spent only 97 million somoni, while in 2010, it has pledged 140 million somoni.

The Agriculture Ministry has targeted to produce 350,000 tons of cotton in the next season, while at the same time, the country is implementing a program, which aims to increase the yield of cotton to 30 centners per hectare by 2014.

Less than 10 percent of the cotton grown in Tajikistan is processed by the cotton textile sector, which has an annual capacity to process just about 100,000 tons of cotton. As per the program, the govt intends to increase cotton processing capacities too.

It is expected that, cotton processing capacities will improve in 2010, as by the end of this year, two new textile factories will come in to operation and work on building two more textile mills will be taken up by mid-2010.

The government also plans to set up seven more textile mills, within the next five years, which will help in consuming at least half of the raw cotton produced in the country, with a goal to process the full cotton output in the next 10-12 years.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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