OREANDA-NEWS. April 15, 2010. Mid April is the heat of the cotton sowing campaign. This year 550,000 hectares will be sown with this strategic crop for the agricultural sector. Cotton growers of Turkmenistan are planning to harvest 1.050 million tons of ‘white gold’ this year.

As is known, a special role in implementing the large-scale agricultural reform launched throughout the country on the initiative of President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov is assigned to cotton growing as one of the priority, very promising branches of the agro-industry sector. The necessary measures have been taken on the instructions of the Turkmen leader to carry out the campaign in a proper and timely manner that has a direct impact on future harvests. According to the Turkmenpagta State Concern, 76,000 tons of high-quality seed grain has been prepared for the sowing campaign.

In the past years particular attention is paid to the soil and climatic conditions of each region. For example, Yoloten-7 middle-staple cotton variety is sown in Ahal, Lebap and Mary Velayats, 133 – in all velayats, except for Dashoguz. 14C-4727, Dashoguz-120 and Serdar middle-staple cotton varieties are sown in the northern region. Cotton growers of Lebap and Balkan Velayats sow C-2606 middle-staple cotton variety Along with other varieties. This year 9871-Y, 9946-Y, Yoloten-14, Yoloten-32 fine-staple cotton varieties will be sown in Ahal and Mary Velayats.

John Deere, Case, Belarus-1221, MTZ-80X, MTZ-82.2 tractors, sowing machines and other equipment will be engaged in the sowing campaign throughout the country. Over 5,000 machine operators will ensure the success of the campaign. All necessary conditions have been created so that agricultural machines will be used effectively.

Turkmen cotton growers will use every day and hour and work wholeheartedly to carry out the sowing campaign in a timely manner and thus lay the foundation for future harvests of ‘white gold’. According to the Turkmenobahyzmat Association the capacity of a sowing unit is 8-10 hectares a day. Bereket and Serdar Etraps in Balkan Velayat, Koytendag and Dovletli Etraps in Lebap Velayat, Ruhabat and Geoktepe Etraps in Ahal Velayats and Tahtabazar and Oguzkhan Etraps in f Mary Velayat take the lead in the cotton campaign.

Good cotton shoots have appeared on the fields in nearly all etraps of Ahal, Lebap and Mary Velayats.