Cotton production in Uzbekistan
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Cotton production in Uzbekistan is important to the national economy of the country. It is Uzbekistan's main cash crop, accounting for 17% of its exports in 2006.[1] With annual cotton production of about 1 million ton of fiber (4–5% of world production) and exports of 700,000-800,000 tons (10% of world exports), Uzbekistan is the 8th largest producer and the 11th largest exporter of cotton in the world.[2] Cotton's nickname in Uzbekistan is "white gold" (Uzbek: oq oltin).[3]
Up to 2017, the industry was state-controlled on a national level. About two million people were involved in the harvesting of cotton every year. Many of them were forced to work in the cotton fields, receiving little or no pay. In an economy which is the 82nd largest in the world, cotton is crucial for Uzbekistan.
But its production has declined over the years. Cotton production peaked in 1988 to 8,000 bales and as of 2012 is around 4500 bales (1 million tons). This downward trend is attributed to the precedence given to food crops, an essential requirement. Cotton exports are mainly to China, Bangladesh, Korea and Russia. Uzbekistan has launched a development effort to manufacture cotton textiles through enhancing cotton processing chains and mills.[2][4] The Uzbekistan cotton industry has also been affected by the boycotting of its cotton by many global companies after human rights reports revealed working conditions that include child labor and forced labor.[5]
In March 2022. the Cotton Campaign ended its call to boycott Uzbek cotton.[6] This follows extensive reforms in Uzbekistan by the current president Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who has pledged to outlaw forced labour in Uzbekistan since coming to power in 2016.[7] In 2022 the International Labour Organisation (ILO) announced that the Uzbek cotton industry is free of child and forced labour.[8] In September 2022, the President said that the quota system for farmers had been abolished, and cotton was no longer exported, and was instead processed domestically.[9]