Kazakhstan did not have a single cotton variety of its own way back in 1991, but currently the country has 10 varieties and 5 of them have successfully passed state tests, The country is now exporting its cotton varieties to 11 countries — Russia, Belarus, Germany, Latvia, Moldova, China, Belgium, Iran, Ukraine, Italy and Korea, said Askar Nametov, chairman of the board of the National Agrarian Scientific-Educational Centre under the agriculture ministry.

Presently, the yield of raw cotton is 22-23 centners per hectare, although the potential of the production of new domestic varieties is 38-40 centners per hectare, quoted Nametov. The challenge is to raise yield by 30-40 percent along with improving fibre quality, which will help increase the produce’s competitiveness in domestic and international markets.

About a quarter of the Kazakh population is employed in the agriculture sector. Family farms own nearly 70 percent of land in southern and south-eastern parts of the country and account for 95 percent of the total cotton production.

Despite being significantly larger in area than its Central Asian neighbours, the country’s cotton production is relatively lower due to the significance of grain cultivation and other food crops.

Agriculture accounts for approximately 6 percent of Kazakhstan’s economic production. More than 74 percent of the country’s territory is suitable for agricultural production.