Uzbekistan’s cotton industry rebounds after boycott

Uzbekistan is the world’s sixth-largest cotton producer and has seen growth in this industry following reforms and the end of an international boycott of Uzbek cotton. The ban was initiated in 2010 by the Cotton Campaign due to forced harvesting, where more than 2 million people, including children, were forced into the fields. The World Bank put in place a monitoring campaign, which found forced labour had been eliminated by 2021 and the boycott was lifted in 2022. 

In this episode of Focus, Euronews correspondent Galina Polonskaya met up with human rights advocate Gulnoz Mamarasulova who helps the Cotton Campaign to monitor the fields for signs of forced harvesting. She said state acknowledgement, TV coverage, and social media campaigns on forced labour had helped to address the issue. Galina also spoke to former Deputy Minister of Agriculture Anvar Karimov who emphasised the state’s commitment to combatting the practice.

Cotton pickers like Gulchera Oripova have seen their wages increase to up to $500 (€458) per month. Uzbekistan has transitioned from exporting raw materials to trading finished products, leading to increased exports and a boost in investments. Textile exports have also gone up from hundreds of millions during the boycott to $3.2 billion in 2022. The country has established 130 private cotton clusters aimed at fostering quality control and innovation. Muzaffar Razakov, CEO of the Global Textile group (one of the leading textile companies in Uzbekistan) spoke to Galina about his business’ strategy of selling high-quality fabrics globally.

Galina saw a collection of cotton apparel at the Human House gallery, where designer Lola Sayfi also spoke to her about how the lifting of the boycott had meant she could create more and dress more people in clothes from Uzbekistan