Azernews.Az

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedovat a videogate meeting drew the attention of several heads of regional administrations to the low rate of cotton sowing, the Turkmen government said on Tuesday.

"The President gave specific instructions for conducting cotton sowing in accordance with the scheduled terms and established agronomic standards in order to provide a basis for future harvest of this valuable technical culture," the statement says.

Berdymukhamedovdemanded strict adherence to all farming rules while conducting seasonal works. He noted the "slow pace of cotton sowing and preparation of agricultural machinery below the proper level".

Cotton sowing in Turkmenistan started in late March in a 550,000 hectare area. Considering soil and climate conditions, especially valuable fine-fiber cotton will be sown in two provinces of the country, Mary and Akhal velayats (province).

Some 1.235 million tons of cotton was collected last year, or by 12.6 percent more than in 2011.

There are 36 cotton mills in the country.

Cotton is the main raw material for the domestic dynamically developing textile industry. Turkmenistan also exports raw cotton to China, Russia, Britain, South Korea, Turkey, Iran, Indonesia, Singapore, Ukraine and the Baltic countries.