ASHGABAT, Turkmenistan, Nov. 8
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
Turkmenistan, thanks to a deal with the US-based John Deere company, will be able to fully mechanize cotton harvesting, Trend reports Nov. 8 referring to the company.
As a result of the agreement on the supply of 600 John Deere cotton harvesters, their total number in Turkmenistan will exceed 1,000 by 2020, the report said.
John Deere and the Turkmen government signed an agreement this year under which one of the leading agricultural producers will supply 600 cotton harvesters of 9970 model.
The agreement was continuation of the deal, as a result of which, in 2017-2018, John Deere delivered 400 units of similar harvesting equipment to Turkmenistan.
This will allow achieving maximum mechanization of cotton harvesting and increasing the harvest of this strategically important crop for Turkmenistan. Cotton in Turkmenistan is grown on an area of more than 1 million hectares, the report said.
John Deere has been supplying agricultural machinery to Turkmenistan for over 25 years, but such a large-scale agreement aimed at cotton harvesting was concluded for the first time.
This year, 550,000 hectares have been allocated for cotton in the country, and it is planned to harvest 1.05 million tons of raw cotton. The cotton production is planned to be raised to 1.25 million tons next year.
Private agricultural producers who have received plots from a special land fund began to cultivate cotton in 25,567 hectares of land.
Cotton is Turkmenistan’s significant export item, while it is currently a highly demanded raw material for the country’s rapidly developing textile industry.