Forty-two Thousand Tons of Cotton Picked

. As of October 24^th, Azerbaijan picked 41.8 thousand tons of cotton, 1.6 times more than in the comparable period of 2015, according to the weekly report by the State Statistics Committee.

The cotton growers of the Saatli region are the leaders. They passed the ginneries 6,354 tons of "white gold" as it is called again in Azerbaijan, following the example of the Soviet era, after the "dark days" of oil, the lower prices for which made life difficult for Azerbaijan.

This year, cotton was planted on more than 52 thousand hectares, 2.8 times more than in 2015. The government expects to collect 20 quintals of raw cotton per hectare. However, the cotton harvest started late and the weather does not help its rapid completion.

The purchasing prices of cotton in Azerbaijan are up to AZN 400-500 per 1 ton this year. In addition, farmers receive from the state AZN 90 per hectare of cultivated land and AZN 100 per ton for the raw cotton passed to the ginneries. However, independent experts say cotton is not the most suitable product that could replace oil revenues and provide employment and a decent life in the rural regions.    ----08B