More than 80 percent of Tajikistan’s cotton growing regions have been cultivated, agronews.ru reported on 11 March, citing the Tajik Agriculture Ministry. This year, some 251,000 hectares of land, or 38,000 hectares less than in the preceding year, have been designated for growing cotton, Avesta Tajikistan-Online reported.  To date, more than 200,000 hectares of cotton fields have been cultivated nationwide, with more than 76,000 tons of fertilizer being used. State orders of cotton this year fell by 60,000 tons to 550,000 tons. In 2005, cotton production slipped by almost 110,000 tons, or 19.6 percent, to roughly 448,000 tons year on year. According to the World Bank Web site, cotton represents Tajikistan’s second largest export, accounting for almost one-fifth of total export revenues and providing employment to about 80 percent of the country’s rural labor force. (www.agronews.ru, sngnews.ru, March 11; www.worldbank.org)