Text of report by Azerbaijani news agency Turan
Baku, 15 February: The production of raw cotton in Azerbaijan fell by
7,800 tonnes (8.6 per cent) last year compared to the previous year and
totalled 83,700 tonnes. More than half of this raw material was
processed by cotton-cleaning factories cooperating with the
production-commercial firm M.K.T, Osman Nuri Paksu, general director of
the firm, has told Turan.
In spite of the drop in the cotton harvest, as well as the fall in
the world prices for lint cotton, M.K.T is increasing investment in this
sphere. The firm has invested over 100m dollars in developing cotton
cultivation in Azerbaijan since 1997. Last year investment in each
hectare was increased by 32.4 per cent compared to 2000 and reached 1.2m
manats [250 dollars]. Part of the funds (about 10m dollars) issued to
farmers for cultivating cotton has not bee repaid yet.
Paksu pointed out that 14 supplying factories of M.K.T prepared
67,400 tonnes of raw cotton last year (there are 21 cotton-processing
factories in Azerbaijan). The firm has already exported 12,000 tonnes of
lint cotton. It sold the product for 670 dollar per tonne on the
average. It is expected to export another 12,000 tonnes of this product
in the near future. Moreover, local light industry enterprises have sold
lint cotton worth 4.3bn manats [896,000 dollars].
Turan note: In 1997-2001, 135,800 tonnes of lint cotton were
processed at the request of M.K.T.
Source: Turan news agency, Baku, in Russian 1145 gmt 15 Feb 02
/BBC Monitoring/ © BBC.