Tajikistan has started planting cotton for 2026, with farmers facing strict demands from local authorities forcing them to sow 70% of their fields with cotton, despite the economic unprofitability of this method.
How reports the Ministry of Agriculture Tajikistan, as of April 3, more than 23 thousand hectares of this crop have already been sown in the country, the bulk of the crops are in the Khatlon region. In total, in 2026 it is planned to sow 186.8 thousand hectares under cotton, one of the country’s key agricultural crops.
According to Forecast of main macroeconomic indicators for 2026-2028, Tajikistan expects a significant increase in cotton production. In 2026, the country forecasts to produce 422 thousand tons of cotton, which is 3.8% more than in 2025.
Farmers in Tajikistan are forced to grow cotton
In recent years, growing cotton has become uneconomical, and many farmers are choosing to plant their fields with more profitable crops such as wheat and vegetables.
The Government of Tajikistan has instructed local authorities to take the necessary measures to ensure that cotton planting forecasts are met. The corresponding instruction is contained in the minutes of the government meeting. Last year, Asia-Plus received a copy of such a protocol dated January 2025
But what does this actually mean?
Despite the Ministry of Agriculture’s claim that farmers are free to choose the crops to plant, in practice local authorities continue to force farmers to plant cotton – local officials insist that 70% of the fields be planted with cotton, despite other crops already being planted.
Minister of Agriculture of Tajikistan Kurbon Hakimzoda expressed his position regarding the intervention of local authorities, saying that they do not have the right to dictate the choice of crops. According to him, the solution to the problem of forced sowing is possible through a system of pre-financing and improved procurement mechanisms, which will give farmers the opportunity to freely choose which crops to grow.
In the Hamadoni region the situation has reached its extreme point. How Radio Ozodi reportsrecently the district chairman, Farruhuddin Nabisoda, reacted harshly to the planting of alfalfa instead of cotton, saying: “Dear Chairman, where were you looking? All these farms in your village have sowed alfalfa. Where will you sow cotton tomorrow?
He threatened to plow the fields so that 70% of all fields would be sown with cotton. “Tomorrow afternoon we will arrive with tractors. We will plow all the farms that have been sowed this way. It doesn’t matter who it is, we don’t care what you had there,” the official emphasized.
The pressure raises questions from the point of view of legislation, according to which dehkan (farmer) farms independently determine the direction of their activities and have the right to choose crops for cultivation, and interference of government agencies in their activities is not allowed.
Low purchasing prices and yield problems
Tajikistan has only about 700 thousand hectares of irrigated land, of which 180-186 thousand hectares are allocated annually for cotton. The authorities predict 22.6 centners per hectare, which is a rather low figure for a country with such agricultural potential. This is economically unprofitable, since the yield that can be obtained from such areas is significantly lower than possible.
If 186.8 thousand hectares received 40 centners per hectare, the harvest could exceed 700 thousand tons. This result is possible using innovative methods such as sowing under film. In 2026, it is planned to sow 40 thousand hectares under film in the republic.
Sowing cotton under film has several important advantages. The film helps retain moisture in the soil, which is especially important in drought conditions. It accelerates seed germination, creating optimal conditions for growth. The film also protects the soil from erosion and suppresses the growth of weeds, which reduces the need for chemicals and additional watering. As a result, the yield can be significantly higher, and the costs of watering and processing can be lower.
However, the costs of this method are higher than the traditional one. The cost of the film and the installation of the system to use it require additional investment. Despite this, in the long term, if the harvest increases, farmers could offset these costs and receive more income from cotton sales.
True, there is one more But…
Purchase prices for cotton in Tajikistan are only 6-7 somoni per kilogram, while production costs reach 15 thousand somoni per hectare. As a result, farmers suffer losses, since the income from the sale of cotton does not even cover the cost of growing it.
At the same time, the price of cotton on the international market is much higher – 15-16 somoni per kilogram, but local farmers are not able to sell their products directly.
