Mirziyoyev: Cotton Was Grown Without Science for 27 Years, Now Progress Has Been Achieved

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — On 4 December, during a working visit to the Syrdarya region, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev met with farmers to discuss the results of the current cotton season and the prospects for the industry’s development.

According to the “Uzbekistan 24” TV channel, the head of state noted that for 27 years people worked in cotton fields without modern technologies and scientific support, which did not yield the expected results.

“People’s mindset has changed. Our lives were wasted on cotton. For 27 years we struggled, everyone saw the cotton disaster in the fields, but there was no result. Just yesterday I was in Jizzakh and met with farmers — one of them harvested 85 centners,” Mirziyoyev said.

A farmer from the Syrdarya region reported that this year he harvested 76 centners of cotton per hectare using the “87” variety. “It was a miracle. This year, we truly achieved an amazing result in cotton,” he emphasized.

The President noted that for many years cotton was grown without science and expertise, which limited profitability and opportunities for training and development.

“Imagine if for all that labor we had received even 50 centners — what income that would have been? How would we have educated our children? There was no science, no experience; we only shouted ‘hooray-hooray’ and sent everyone to the fields without machinery or money,” he added.

The Syrdarya farmer stressed that this year’s results were a real surprise for dehkan farmers, tractor operators, and regular workers. “This year, there is huge interest and income,” he noted.

President Mirziyoyev emphasized the need to further improve cotton cultivation. “A tractor operator’s income from 70 centners now matches their labor. Previously, the cotton grown didn’t even cover expenses.

We are moving in the right direction, but the process needs to be refined,” he said.

For 2026, the target is to procure 4.5 million tons of cotton.