Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Uzbekistan has procured more than 5.047 million tonnes of cotton since the start of the season, but harvesting and acceptance of the crop are continuing, the Agriculture Ministry said.
The ministry provided explanations about procurement volumes, harvesting arrangements and the digital accounting of cotton.
According to the Agrotarozi electronic platform, total cotton accepted by 13 November 2026 reached 5,047,095 tonnes. This represented 112.2% of the contractual target of 4.5 million tonnes. A further 2,899 tonnes were procured during the reporting day.
The ministry stressed that reaching the nationwide target did not mean harvesting had ended in every field. Videos showing unharvested cotton fields have circulated on social media, prompting users to question the reliability of the overall harvest figures.
The ministry said the amount of cotton collected by a particular date should not be confused with the completion of the harvesting campaign. The figures cover different reporting periods and increase as collection and acceptance continue.
On 12 October, the reported procurement volume stood at 3.4 million tonnes. By 22 October, it had reached 4.63 million tonnes. A 4 November congratulatory message from the president of Uzbekistan said the harvest had exceeded 5 million tonnes. Electronic reporting recorded 5,047,095 tonnes as of 13 November.
The initial forecast for this year was 4.6 million tonnes. However, this figure was not a ceiling for the possible harvest, so exceeding the planned volume did not in itself indicate any violations.
The ministry cited figures from Bukhara region as an example. Cotton procurement there had reached 530,677 tonnes since the start of the season, including a further 1,228 tonnes during the reporting day. This was 88,677 tonnes above the initial target of 442,000 tonnes.
According to the ministry, harvesting continued in most regions after the 5-million-tonne mark had been reached. The figures provided do not answer every question about a particular field in Gijduvan district. However, they do not support claims that additional cotton stopped being accepted after the target was announced as having been reached.
Reasons for harvesting delays
The ministry separately addressed fields where cotton remained unpicked. It specifically commented on the condition of plants shown in a video from Gijduvan district.
The ministry said open cotton bolls alongside leaves that had remained on the plants could indicate that a farmer had not used cotton-maturing technology or had planted the crop late. Another possible reason was repeat cotton planting after the wheat harvest.
The ministry said that, if the crop had matured on time, cotton in such fields could have been harvested mechanically within a 35-day period.
A video dated 11 November also showed green bolls and leaves. According to the ministry, this could indicate that measures to accelerate maturation and carry out defoliation had not been implemented on time.
The ministry identified the timely treatment of crops with Ethephon and Auguron preparations as important agricultural operations.
The ministry had developed and communicated eight main rules to farmers for increasing cotton yields. However, results depended on the timely and correct application of scientific recommendations and agricultural technologies.
It also highlighted farmers' responsibility for observing the deadlines for agricultural operations and organising the harvest.
By mid-November, weather conditions had deteriorated, making it practically impossible for heavy machinery to enter some fields. The number of cotton pickers had also declined. Mechanical harvesting was also difficult in fields where leaves had not yet fallen.
The ministry recalled that in previous years harvesting in some fields had continued until snowfall.
It therefore reiterated the importance of early cotton-maturing technology, which has been used in Uzbekistan since 1 August.
How digital cotton accounting works
The ministry also explained how the crop is accepted and registered. Digital accounting is governed by Cabinet resolution No. 573 of 9 September 2025, which provides for the use of the Agrotarozi, Hosil qabuli and AgroDocs information systems.
Under the established rules, cotton is accepted on the basis of consignment notes specifying the exact number of the land plot where it was grown. Each batch is weighed on electronic scales in real time.
The information is transferred to the Agroplatforma system, while daily reports are compiled in physical weight.
Further changes were introduced by resolution No. 295 of 10 June 2026. The document improved electronic accounting for cotton supplied under futures and forward contracts.
In particular, the Hosil qabuli system is used to issue PK-17 consignment notes and invoices for products weighed on electronic scales. The documents are certified with electronic digital signatures and transferred to the exchange system.
Both the supplier and the recipient of the cotton certify the consignment notes and invoices with electronic signatures. The documents are used to regulate financial relations between the parties, confirm delivery volumes and verify the fulfilment of contractual obligations.
Signed documents are also transferred through integration with the information systems of the tax authorities. They serve as the basis for tax calculations and the application of certain tax incentives provided for by law.
A mechanism is also being introduced to provide state subsidies for each kilogram of cotton harvested, based on issued invoices.
The ministry said the electronic accounting system covers the entire process, from the land where cotton is grown to its acceptance, documentation and financial settlements.
It also commented on a video showing the same trailer making repeated trips onto weighing scales. The ministry said this alone did not prove that the same batch of cotton had been recorded more than once.
If an acceptance point is located near fields, vehicles may make several trips at intervals. Each load is weighed separately, and the relevant documents are issued in accordance with established procedures.
For every batch, the PK-17 consignment note is certified with electronic signatures from the supplier and recipient. The invoice is then sent to the relevant information systems.
The ministry said this procedure links the physical volume of delivered cotton to the documents and financial settlements.
At the same time, the ministry acknowledged that any suspicions of violations of the established rules needed to be investigated. It said such cases should receive an objective legal assessment and that conclusions about violations should not be drawn solely from individual videos.
Mechanisation and higher yields
A 4 November congratulatory message from President Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that 85% of the cotton crop had been harvested in 30–35 days using more than 3,000 cotton-picking machines.
More than 2,000 modern machines had been imported into the country over two years under preferential leasing arrangements. According to the presidential message, they had worked in the fields for the first time in the country's history both day and night, operating for 16–18 hours a day.
The ministry linked the expansion of mechanisation to a reduction in heavy manual labour and faster harvesting.
It also stressed that higher yields depended on more than the varieties used or individual agricultural operations.
Factors determining productivity included genetic material adapted to local conditions, planting patterns and density, balanced plant nutrition, water resource management, crop protection and the timely implementation of measures to accelerate maturation.
According to figures provided by the ministry, average cotton yields increased by 40.4% between 2021 and 2025, while total production rose by 19.3%. At the same time, planted areas decreased by 15.1%.
The ministry cited these figures as evidence of changes in the sector over previous years. Euronews and IndexBox had also covered the achievement of the 5-million-tonne mark, the introduction of new varieties, changes in planting methods and the mechanisation of harvesting.
Ministry comments on payments to farmers
A separate part of the ministry's explanations addressed complaints about delayed payments for delivered cotton and wages for pickers.
The ministry said timely payments to both farmers and workers involved in harvesting were important.
It stressed that the volume of cotton harvested and payment discipline were separate issues.
Therefore, individual payment disputes in Ferghana or Namangan regions did not disprove nationwide procurement figures.
At the same time, overall harvest data did not answer questions about outstanding payments to specific farms. The reasons for such problems needed to be examined on a case-by-case basis.
The ministry cited internal financial settlements, farmers' debts, insufficient work by local organisations and problems with financial literacy among possible causes.
It also commented on the projected net profit of 13–14 trillion soums for farmers, mentioned in the president's 4 November congratulatory message. This figure represented an expected economic result, not funds that had already been paid to all farmers.
According to the ministry, reforms had enabled farms that previously had debts to achieve higher yields. Over the past two years, farmers had gradually reduced debts accumulated in earlier years. However, some outstanding debts remained.
The ministry said the results of the cotton campaign should be assessed with due regard to the dates of statistical data and the meaning of each indicator.
It added that specific complaints about harvesting, crop acceptance and payments required verification based on official documents and relevant evidence.
