Cotton is not a strategic crop for Tajikistan any more. However, if there is a demand, the country is ready to grow fine fiber cotton for the global defense industry for the production of parachutes.

One reason why cotton is not a profitable crop for Tajikistan any more is the fall in international cotton prices. Prices for medium-staple cotton fiber averaged a $5,200 per tonne in 2011, falling to between $1,700 and $1,800 last year. Another reason is poor demand from domestic farmers. The demand right now is not sufficient to justify a certain volume of production.

In 2013, Tajikistan reportedly produced 3,92,000 tons of raw cotton, which was 96.4 per cent of the national cotton target. Last year, 1,91,33 hectares were allotted to cotton cultivation, which was 4 per cent or 8,133 hectares fewer than in 2012. Tajikistan exported 114,400 tons of cotton fiber worth $189.2 million, or 16.3 per cent of all its exports, last year.

Tajikistan, which borders China and Afghanistan, used to produce up to one million tons of raw cotton annually in the Soviet era. Aluminum and cotton remains major exports for Tajikistan.