Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan harvested more than 5 million tonnes of raw cotton worth 34 trillion soums in 2026, compared with around 4 million tonnes a year earlier. From 2027, the country plans to harvest cotton exclusively by machine. Agriculture Minister Ibrahim Abdurakhmonov announced this at a press conference on 6 November, Gazeta.uz reported.
The minister attributed the increase in the harvest to the introduction of new agricultural technologies and biotechnology-based varieties resistant to the cotton bollworm. Average yields reached 70 centners per hectare across almost 400,000 hectares, while yields on around 70,000 hectares reached 100–110 centners.
On 4 November, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev congratulated agricultural workers on harvesting more than 5 million tonnes of cotton, describing the result as a record for Uzbekistan.
According to the president, average cotton yields have increased 2.7-fold in recent years, from 21 to 56 centners per hectare. At the same time, the area planted with cotton has decreased by 38%. The head of state estimated that cotton farmers’ net profit could reach 13–14 trillion soums in 2026.
However, results varied considerably between farms. According to the minister, yields remained at previous levels on around 250,000 hectares because not all farmers had adopted the new technologies.
“Some of our farmers have still not planted varieties resistant to the cotton bollworm and have not paid attention to planting density.
“There was a lot of rain this year, and weeds overran the fields. Cotton plants were also damaged during weeding,” Abdurakhmonov said.
He said plant density had fallen to 48,000–50,000 per hectare in some fields. The Agriculture Ministry entered these farms in a separate register and classified farmers into three categories based on their performance: green, yellow and red.
One of the key factors behind higher yields, the minister said, was the introduction of biotechnology-based varieties resistant to the cotton bollworm. Traditional Uzbek varieties were not protected against the pest, he said, meaning farmers could lose a significant share of their crops. “One caterpillar can eat ten cotton bolls in a single night,” he explained.
These varieties were first planted in 2024 across 142,000 hectares. They were sown in a twin-row pattern at a density of more than 200,000 plants per hectare, producing yields of 50–60 centners. Previously, the minister said, farmers had planted around 100,000 plants per hectare for years, with row spacing of 90 centimetres.
Uzbekistan studied agricultural practices in Türkiye, China, Brazil and Argentina. In China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, average yields reach 90 centners per hectare, with plant density of around 250,000 per hectare, according to the minister.
Reducing row spacing from 90 to 76 centimetres increases land-use efficiency by 14%, Abdurakhmonov said. Twin-row planting makes it possible to grow up to 240,000 plants per hectare. Cotton plants are also kept to a height of around 95 centimetres so they do not expend resources on stem growth.
The fertilisation system has also changed. Whereas up to one tonne of nitrogen fertiliser could previously be applied per hectare, the amount was reduced to 200 kg this season. Greater emphasis was placed on phosphorus and micronutrients, including manganese, iron, boric acid and calcium.
Boric acid was applied twice, at 250–500 grams per hectare, which the minister said reduced flower shedding in hot weather. Aspirin was also used at the same dosage, along with yeast. The cost of aspirin was around 35,000 soums per hectare, while boric acid cost around 80,000 soums.
“These are not new discoveries, but methods already used in cotton production around the world. For the first time, we have begun systematically bringing these technologies to our farmers,” the minister said.
Abdurakhmonov described the preparation of cotton plants for ripening from 1 August as the season’s main innovation. Previously, defoliation was carried out in the second half of September or towards the end of the month, when many cotton bolls had not yet ripened. This year, the Agriculture Ministry and scientists from the Cotton Council under the president changed the procedure. From 1 August, cotton plants were treated with ethephon to stop flowering and direct nutrients towards bolls that had already formed.
“In previous years, we removed green leaves in September. Nutrients were lost along with them. This year, we first applied ethephon to direct nutrients into the bolls. This alone made it possible to increase yields by 20 centners per hectare in August,” Abdurakhmonov said.
Defoliation was completed by 25 August and desiccation by 15 September. According to the minister, trials in 2024 showed yields of 100 centners per hectare in fields where desiccation was applied, compared with 45–50 centners in fields without it. Earlier ripening makes it possible to complete harvesting before the autumn rains and colder weather.
According to the minister, machines harvested 75–80% of this year’s crop. Harvesting was fully mechanised in Syrdarya and Jizzakh regions. A statement by the president put the share of machine harvesting at 85%, without explaining the discrepancy.
Around 3,000 cotton harvesters operated during the season, half of them — 1,500 machines — purchased this year. Manual labour accounted for around 20–23% of harvesting. It was used mainly on small plots and fields between orchards, where machinery cannot operate. Asked when harvesting would be fully mechanised, the minister replied: “Next year, we will reach 100%.”
Cotton fields inaccessible to harvesting machinery cover around 53,000 hectares. The authorities plan to gradually remove these areas from cotton production and use them to grow vegetables and other food crops.
Cotton harvesting machinery is also manufactured in Uzbekistan. A joint venture with China’s FM World has been established in Kashkadarya Region, while another with Swan operates in the Fergana Valley. The tractor plant also produces agricultural machinery with Chinese partners. According to the minister, modern machines collect cotton completely, leaving no losses in the fields.
Abdurakhmonov said the ministry had not issued any instructions this year to force people to take part in cotton harvesting. “If members of a farmer’s family took part in harvesting out of their own interest, that is a different matter,” he said.
Agriculture Ministry Press Secretary Dilshod Nazirov said manual picking was permitted only on 11-metre-wide technical strips used by harvesting machines to turn around. He said the ministry had contacted special groups within the Interior Ministry to prevent children, students and people in poor health from being recruited for cotton picking.
The minister acknowledged that people who previously worked in cotton fields should not lose their income. In his view, the reduced demand for cotton pickers should be offset by creating new jobs in the textile industry.
In 2027, average yields are expected to reach 70 centners per hectare, potentially taking the total harvest above 6 million tonnes. The president has set a target of 65–70 centners per hectare. At the same time, the authorities intend to reduce the area planted with cotton. “If we can harvest 90–100 centners per hectare on 400,000–500,000 hectares, the remaining land can be freed up for orchards and vegetable crops,” the minister said.
In the longer term, cotton is to be grown on large plots suitable for machine harvesting, including desert areas using drip irrigation. According to the minister, yields of 70–80 centners per hectare have been achieved on saline land in the Alat and Karakul districts of Bukhara Region.
Cotton production requires an average of around 7,000 cubic metres of water per hectare. About half of this volume is used to flush saline soils.
Technologies that eliminate the need for pre-planting soil flushing are being introduced in some districts of Bukhara, Navoi and Khorezm regions, as well as in Karakalpakstan. According to the minister, drip irrigation reduces water consumption by up to 40%. By next year, these systems are expected to cover around 600,000 hectares of cotton fields.
To provide farmers with additional income, the ministry is considering processing cotton stalks into biochar. Abdurakhmonov estimated that one hectare could yield more than 10 tonnes of dry stalks and around five tonnes of biochar. At a price of US$90 per tonne, this could generate about US$450 in additional income.
The area used to grow cumin between cotton rows will also be expanded, from 1,000 hectares in 2025 to at least 10,000 hectares in 2027. According to the minister, net profit from cumin could reach 15 million soums per hectare. Uzbekistan currently imports around US$5 million worth of cumin annually.
Responding to a question about inflated harvest figures, the minister said that since 2024, cotton acceptance had been monitored using digital scales, video cameras and artificial intelligence systems. This year, data on the fields from which cotton is delivered was added to the system. “You can see the five million tonnes for yourselves in the cotton acceptance system. I cannot increase or decrease these figures,” he said.
Abdurakhmonov said all cotton fibre is processed domestically. The sector includes more than 142 textile clusters and 183 enterprises. Whereas fibre exports previously generated around US$1 billion, exports of processed products have reached US$4.1 billion, according to the minister. The authorities plan to increase this figure to US$9 billion in the future.
The minister also discussed problems with lending. Banks refuse new loans to farmers who have outstanding debts from previous years. The state therefore authorised the allocation of funds to them in spring to prevent fields from being left uncultivated. According to Abdurakhmonov, only around 24% of state funds allocated in this way had previously been repaid, but the figure reached 91% in 2025.
Uzbekistan’s authorities have announced plans to mechanise cotton harvesting several times in the past. In October 2013, then Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev said the country intended to raise the mechanisation rate to 80–90% by 2016. In 2017, former Deputy Prime Minister Nodir Otajonov said the target was to reach 80% within five years. Government Resolution No. 21, adopted in January 2020, envisaged a two-stage transition to machine harvesting, covering 2020–2022 and 2023–2026.
In February 2026, a presidential meeting was told that 1,756 cotton harvesters had been purchased in previous years and that mechanisation had reached 52%. During the 2025 season, machines harvested 2.1 million tonnes of cotton. The authorities then set a target of raising the share of machine harvesting to at least 70%.
In 2016, the World Bank estimated that between 2.2 million and 3 million people had taken part in Uzbekistan’s 2014 cotton campaign. The researchers said mechanisation would reduce the mass mobilisation of workers but could deprive rural residents of an important source of seasonal income.
In 2021, the international coalition Cotton Campaign lifted its boycott of Uzbek cotton, introduced in 2011 over the systematic use of forced labour.
