"White Gold" is Hard to Harvest
Tajikistan is experiencing a serious lag in its cotton harvesting campaign. According to the Ministry of Agriculture of the republic, by September 20, farmers had harvested only 68,207 tons of raw cotton, which represents just 17.3% of the established state plan. Compared to the same period last year, the figures have decreased by more than half — the lag has reached 74.6 thousand tons, or minus 52.2%.
This year, the relevant ministry expects to obtain a total of 394.7 thousand tons of "white gold" from an area of 164.8 thousand hectares. This target is only slightly higher than the actual harvest of 2025, when 392.2 thousand tons were collected in the country. On the single day of September 20, more than 92.7 thousand pickers took to the fields, securing the harvest of 5,327 tons of raw material.
The situation is complicated by the slow pace of harvesting in certain cities and districts of the republic, where the plan has been fulfilled by less than 10%. In this regard, the Ministry of Agriculture advises agricultural producers to make the most of favorable weather conditions, promptly mobilize additional machinery and labor, and accelerate the delivery of the harvested crop to reception points.