Turkmenistan is planning to harvest more than 1.05 million tons of cotton

The Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan is planning to harvest more than 1.05 million tons of cotton in 2014-15 by sowing seeds on 545,000 hectares of land, reports the State News Agency of Turkmenistan.

At a meeting of the Cabinet Ministers in mid-March this year, President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov set March 26 as the date for initiating cotton sowing in Ahal, Lebap and Mary provinces, and April 2 for staring cotton sowing in Dashoguz.

Accordingly, the first cotton seeds were sowed in the three provinces on March 26, and then machine operators started their work.

During the new season, cotton growers in Turkmenistan are planning to harvest over 1.05 million tons of cotton from 545,000 hectares of field. Mary, Lebap, Dahoguz and Ahal provinces are expected to contribute 313,000 tons, 300,000 tons, 230,000 tons and 207,000 tons, respectively, to the total harvest.

For growing cotton, more than 7,000 tractors, 5,000 cotton cultivators, 2,000 seeding machines, along with other equipment and tools would be utilized during the new season, according to the Turkmenobahyzmat State Association.

Prior to the beginning of the cotton sowing campaign in Turkmenistan, several workshops were conducted by leading farmers’ associations. These workshops focused on ongoing agricultural reform in the country, which is aimed at increasing agricultural output and boosting profitability of the domestic agro-industrial sector.

As a part of the ongoing reforms in Turkmenistan’s agriculture, crops to be grown have been distributed in provinces and regions in accordance with their soil and climatic conditions. In addition, the Government has also approved a plan of science-based crop rotation to enhance efficiency and use of lands.

Cotton is the main cash crop of Turkmen agriculture and one of the main exports of the country, second only to energy resources.