Cotton crisis claims Turkmen ministers

Wet weather meant many fields had to be re-sewn

By Catherine Davis BBC Central Asia correspondent

Turkmenistan is facing its worst cotton harvest in years and in a rare move has officially acknowledged it has met only a quarter of the two million metric ton target set.

The country's president Saparmurat Niyazov has blamed the poor yield on the incompetence of officials and sacked a deputy prime minister, the agriculture minister and four out of five regional leaders among others.

Although cotton is a significant export earner for Turkmenistan, the signs so far are that domestic needs are being prioritised.

But the underlying problem, the need for better water management, remains.

Rotten

The President had warned there would be repercussions.

But even for a country where dismissals are rather common, these are considered extensive.

The Turkmen leader blamed what he called 'incompetent, irresponsible and dishonest officials'

The changes come after only 500,000 tons of cotton was harvested, 25% of the state target.

With an unusually wet spring, cotton seeds rotted in the ground and many fields had to be re-sewn.

The second crop wasn't trouble free either and wet conditions in recent weeks have curtailed picking in some areas.

Poor water management

It is not the weather though that has been the target of the president's harsh criticism - in state media, the Turkmen leader blamed what he called "incompetent, irresponsible and dishonest officials".

He recommended they go to work on the land so they learned the real value of a farmer's labour.

There has been little investment in vital infrastructure or efforts to rationalise water use

Last year the state quota for cotton was not met either, but the shortfall was never officially announced.

Although the real situation has been publicised this year, agricultural specialists say the fundamental problem is still not being addressed and that is poor water management.

Turkmenistan is a desert state - and agriculture in which 70% of the population is engaged depends on irrigation.

But there has been little investment in vital infrastructure or efforts to rationalise water use.

The ministry of water resources so far seems to have escaped the repercussions of this year's poor cotton harvest.