According to correspondents of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan”, in early August a daikhan (farmer) who had been leasing plots of land to grow cotton and grain died of a heart attack in a village of Yoleten etrap. The editorial board has the farmer’s name and other contact details.
The reason was that a few days before the incident representative of etrap’s khyakimlik office paid a visit to the village to carry out the inspection and identified the crops of melons and watermelons in the fields leased by all tenant farmers. The crops, which were almost ripe, were destroyed.
On leased plots of lands the farmers are obliged to grow cotton and wheat ordered by the state.Farmers are paid for the harvested crops they hand over to the state once a year.
At the same time, the fees are established by the authorities based on unclear criteria.The expenses related to agricultural equipment rental and mineral fertilizers are covered by farmers.
Due to a severe economic situation many land tenants grow melons and watermelons and forage crops in spaces between rows to generate additional income.However, this practice is strongly prohibited by the authorities.
On a regular basis the fields are inspected by commissions made up of officials from regional and local khyakimlik’s office accompanied by district police officers.In case the inspection finds unauthorized crops, they are entirely destroyed.
Violations were identified in 15 more plots of land of the aforementioned farmers’ association.
The requests and attempts to explain the situation to the higher-ranking authorities did not bring about any positive results.
The above mentioned case is not the first incident. “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” has previously reported that in early September, following a similar raid, a farmer killed a representative of the khyakimlik’s office in Akedepe etrap of Dashoguz velayat, who ordered destroying the carrots crops the farmer had grown on the leased land plot.
We have failed to confirm from other sources that this information was accurate.
In his article a permanent author of “Chronicles of Turkmenistan” Ata Garlayev in great detail covers the problems in agriculture and the constrains daikhans are constrained with.