TURKMENISTAN: LEBAP PROVINCE: CORNERSTONE OF

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ASHGABAT 001115

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, SCA/PPD, EEB

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL ECON EAGR SOCI KPAO TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: LEBAP PROVINCE: CORNERSTONE OF
COTTON PRODUCTION, YET ECONOMICALLY DEPRIVED



1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public Internet.


2. (SBU) SUMMARY: During a recent visit to Lebap province,
officials from the provincial governor's office concerned
with the cotton harvest provided provincial harvest
statistics and answered some questions about growing cotton
in the region. The carefully-orchestrated day also included
a visit to a nearby cotton field where harvesting was
underway and a tour through a state factory that produces
sturdy cotton thread. Post learned much more about the city,
about private agriculture, and the opportunities for young
people here when we visited the American Corner and a private
foreign language institute. The Amereican Corner is an
example of a program that is creating an educated, savvy
demographic who could potentially play a role in bringing
Turkmenistan into the 21st century. The bottom line is that,
in spite of this province's cotton wealth, there still isn't
much here. Given the interest in foreign languages and
foreign study, the best and the brightest young folk may seek
their fortune elsewhere. END SUMMARY.

WHITE GOLD


3. (SBU) Poloffs recently visited Lebap province, situated
in the northeastern corner of the country, to get a look at
the highest-yielding cotton area in the country. The deputy
provincial governor who is in charge of the cotton harvest
said that about 10 percent of the province's cotton is
harvested by machine, due to the small size of many of the
plots, and 90 percent is picked by hand. Hand-picked cotton
is considered to be much higher quality and is more valuable,
because it contains far less chaff than cotton gathered by
machine. According to official cotton harvest statistics,
Lebap still exceeds nearby Mary province's harvest overall,
despite cotton farming being far more mechanized in Mary. The
largescale hand-picking in Lebbap still brings in more tons.
The harvest here began a little late because of weather, and
is expected to continue until November 20. Normally, most
cotton has been harvested by the end of October, but the
current dry weather is expected to continue and give farmers
more time to harvest. Rain can negatively impact the
harvest, he said, reducing it by as much as 25 percent.


4. (SBU) When asked about private land and private farming,
the deputy governor was visibly tense in his responses,
probably due to the MFA representative's presence. He
indicated that there was very little private land in the
province, and private farmers still must sell their cotton to
the state on a contract basis. He noted the president had
raised the price of cotton not long ago, and had worked to
improve the availability of agricultural supplies, so that
there was little difference between private and state cotton
harvest yields per hectare. When asked for the number of
private farmers and average harvest yields of private and
state-owned plots, he avoided answering the questions. He
indicated that most private land plots were in outlying
areas, far from the provincial capital of Turkmenabat.


5. (SBU) When asked what the state does to stimulate higher
production, the deputy governor said the government is
providing more harvest equipment, fertilizers and chemicals
to farmers and has made many agricultural supplies free or
very inexpensive, especially at the beginning of the
cotton-growing season. He suggested there had been
fertilizer shortages in the past and also indicated they were
now making more use of manure-based fertilizers than in the
past. The state pays harvesters every 5 to 10 days.


6. (SBU) We then visited a cotton field, operated by renters
who work the land for the state. The family manages five
hectares of land, and they have two shareholders. The
practice on this plot was to use a John Deere combine to
harvest the cotton over three runs. Then the renter's family

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and extended family harvest remaining cotton by hand.


7. (U) The next stop was an industrial-weight thread
factory, one of two owned and operated by the Ministry of
Textiles in this province. It operates on a 24/7, two shift
basis, with modern Italian, Turkish and Japanese spinning and
processing technology. There are 240 employees split between
the two shifts, the vast majority women. Each month the
factory processes about 200 tons of fiber, brushing and
softening the cotton before spinning it into sturdy thread.
The final product is then shipped to another factory that
manufactures finished textiles.

THE NAIL THAT STICKS UP


8. (SBU) Once this tour was finished, Poloffs also had the
opportunity to meet with several local fruit farmers who have
been involved with U.S. farmer exchanges in the past, and
they talked about some of the issues they are dealing with.
One farmer is interested in establishing a long-term cool
storage capacity, so that some seasonal fruits can be kept in
a fresh state throughout the year, but bureaucratic hurdles
relating to the licensing of this locally unfamiliar
technology, combined with his inability to acquire small
enterprise credit and financing is impeding his goal. The
other farmer is doing well and has begun growing American
varieties of squash and gourds that his mother procured
during a trip to the United States. But conversations with
these farmers made it clear that the key to agricultural
"success" here involves activity on a private plot of land,
and, ironically, enjoying a limited amount of success. Too
much success or prosperity, they said, draws the attention of
government officials, who then seek either to acquire what
they have or in other ways benefit from their business.

THE ATTRACTION OF AMERICAN CULTURE


9. (SBU) While in Turkmenabat, post was also able to visit
both the American Corner and a Democracy Commission grantee
organization. The American Corner, located in a dingey
building chosen by the office of the governor, was a flurry
of activity, with dozens of bright Turkmen teenagers
attending group activities and seminars related to American
culture. The director, who was a former member of the
faculty at the Turkmenabat Institute for Foreign Languages
until it closed nearly five years ago, also acts as a school
guidance counselor for many of the students. The center was
equipped with five or six Internet terminals, a library and
an assortment of American movies. Students there, most of
whom were recent high school graduates or seniors, were a
bright crowd and were interested to hear of any news relating
to the government's views on broadening opportunities to
study overseas. At least one student had already been
rejected by Turkmen State University in Ashgabat, and several
others had set their sights on attending the American
University in Kyrgyzstan, because of its proximity to
Turkmenistan and its relatively affordable cost. Given the
number of talented young students and the motivated director
who overseas its operations, this center is an example of a
program that is creating an educated, savvy demographic who
could potentially play a role in bringing Turkmenistan into
the 21st century.


11. (SBU) The final stop was the impressive Medet
Educational Center, a private foreign-language institute for
students of all ages. The Center was initially organized as
a non-governmental organization, but due to registration
problems, it re-organized as an educational institution and
was thereafter registered as such. The Center has 700
students, who study English, French, German or Russian.
Parents in Turkmenabat pay for their children to attend
classes here after their normal school day. The size of the
center's population underscores the priority parents are

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putting on their children acquiring a foreign language.
Parents perceive, and rightly so, that working knowledge of
these Western languages is a significant key to unlocking the
limited job opportunities that exist in Turkmenistan. In
spite of limited textbooks and materials, the students and
teachers made up in enthusiasm what they lacked in polish.
This center also employs many of those who lost their jobs
when the Turkmenabat Foreign Language Institute closed in

2002. Teachers noted that the institute re-opened this year,
but only has 12 students, so few former faculty members have
been brought back.


12. (SBU) COMMENT: Although this province leads the way in
cotton harvest yields, it appears that the province's capital
has benefited little from cotton profits. The city boasts a
modern medical diagnostic center and drama theatre, but there
are few industries. Housing appears rundown, and there is no
public transportation here, giving rise to private bus firms
who cater to the cadres of traders looking to buy and sell
anything at the local bazaars. Given this economic
environment, it seems unlikely that the young people will
have any interest in staying in a city that currently has few
job opportunities outside of agriculture. Given the interest
in foreign languages and foreign study, the best and the
brightest may seek their fortunes elsewhere. END COMMENT.
HOAGLAND