RICE CULTIVATION AND FISH BREEDING DEVELOPMENT IN THE KHATLON REGION AND DISTRICTS OF REPUBLICAN SUBORDINATION

Rice is considered one of the main agricultural crops, a promising and profitable sector in the conditions of Central Asian countries, including Tajikistan. This crop is 1.6 times more productive than wheat, so farmers increase its sowing from year to year.

This year, with the Republic of Tajikistan Government support, the State Institution “Agriculture Entrepreneurship Development” within the “Strengthening Resilience of the Agriculture Sector Project” framework launched an experimental simultaneous rice cultivation and fish breeding in order to ensure food security nationwide.

Specialists together with this field scientists studied the rice-growing regions of the country and selected nine rice-growing towns and districts of the republic, including 20 rice-growing farms as experimental (test) plots for the simultaneous cultivation of rice and fish breeding.

Currently, rice is growing very well in experimental plots, and tests are being implemented to determine its biological yield.

Experts say, fish breeding in rice fields is a new and extremely effective method having a positive effect on fish breeding development.

Analysis has shown that fish breeding combined with rice farming has good efficiency. It can contribute to further increase in rice yield (strengthening the root system, destroying weeds and harmful insects, and providing natural nutrition).

Specialists and scientists, striving to achieve outstanding results, offer farmers scientifically based recommendations on increasing the area under this rare and high-yielding crop and increasing its productivity.