OREANDA-NEWS. December 19, 2008. Turkmen cotton-growers celebrate a labour victory. Agricultural workers have reported one-million-ton cotton harvest this year. It is a fruit of the farmers’ diligent and selfless labour and a real result of the agricultural reforms initiated by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov throughout the country. Million tons of raw cotton is a worthy return for the state support to the agricultural sector and the large-scale measures aimed at improving the social and living conditions in rural areas and bringing the production and economic relations in the agro-industrial complex up to a higher level meeting the modern standards. 35 cotton-cleaning enterprises affiliated with the Turkmenpagta State Concern continue processing this year’s harvest. Since the beginning of the harvesting campaign over 460,000 tons of raw cotton has been processed. The ginneries in the Ahal, Mary and Lebap Velayats lead in the cotton campaign. The enterprises of the Serdarabat, Babadaykhan, Mary, Karakum, Yoolotan, Murghab and Gyorogly Etraps achieved the highest results.

A major factor contributing to success of the 2008 cotton campaign was technology modernization of the agricultural fleet. To store this year's harvest and deliver it to the receiving points without losses the President of Turkmenistan instructed the Turkmenpagta State Concern to purchase 100 MAZ special-purpose trucks, 200 MTZ-82.1 tractors and over 1,000 trailers produced at the Tashkent plant.

The accounts are settled with cotton-growers at the receiving points, that is a powerful incentive for farmers who can enjoy the real results of their labour immediately upon completing the agricultural campaign. Providing incentives and support to the real masters of their own land and protecting their interests are the priority aspects of the ongoing agricultural reform aimed at comprehensively developing the agro-industrial complex and in particular its key sector – cotton growing and increasing of production and improving the social and economic relations in rural areas.

Having achieved the high results Turkmen cotton-growers are determined to fulfill the designated tasks thus contributing to enhancing the economic strength of the country.