OREANDA-NEWS. September 11, 2009. The first tons of the 2009 cotton harvest are delivered to the receiving points in Dashoguz Velayat. The caravans of trucks and tractors with trailers loaded with ‘white gold’ head for the receiving points of the Ak Altyn State Cotton Trading Enterprise. 

To start the large-scale cotton picking campaign with ‘white caravans’ is a good old tradition of Turkmen cotton-growers. By tradition, the etrap khyakim, the heads of the subdivisions of the Turkmenpagta State Concern, Turkmenobahyzmat Association, Turkmenstandartlary State Service, the Ak Altyn State Cotton Trading Enterprise and specialists, machine operators and cotton-growers gathered together at the Novruz ginning enterprise to bid farewell to the ‘white caravans’.

In the northern region of the country the plantations were sown mostly with the early ripening cotton varieties Dashoguz-120, Serdar, С-4727, 149F that proved their effectiveness in the local soil and climatic conditions.

This season 143 cotton harvesters of the Turkmenobahyzmat Association will be engaged in the 2009 picking campaign. The preference is given to the world-known machines – John Deere and Case (USA). 772 trucks, 1,384 tillage tractors and 1,390 trolleys will deliver cotton to the receiving points. Maintenance services of the machines and mechanisms will be ensured round-the-clock.

Cotton will be delivered to 43 receiving points with the laboratories where the Turkmenstandartlary specialists will test the quality of cotton by using the comparative analysis with the standard criteria.

During these days the agricultural exhibitions are arranged at the receiving points. The velayat artists, singers and artistic groups prepared their presents for agricultural workers. The best cotton-growers received the valuable presents.

Cotton-growers of Ahal, Balkan, Lebap and Mary Velayats, who were the first to start the 2009 cotton picking campaign, have achieved the good results. The local cotton plantations are prepared for defoliation. Over 1,000 tractors of Turkmenobahyzmat Association and civil aircrafts will be engaged in defoliating the cotton plantations in Mary and Ahal Velayats.