Business

Uzbekistan Intends To Stop Cotton Exports By 2025

Uzbekistan has planned to stop the export of cotton fibre and to ensure its full processing in the domestic market by 2025, RIA Novosti reported referring to Head of the Department of Strategic Forecasting of UzTekstilProm (Uzbek Textile Industry) Association Dilbar Muhamedova.

"We have a task to completely stop the export of cotton fibre by 2025 and to ensure its complete processing within the country," Muhamedova said.

According to her forecasts, in 2018, the industry will be able to process about 520,000 tons of cotton fibre with the current design capacity of 720,000 tons. In March this year, during a trip to the Jizzakh region, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced the plans to reduce cotton exports and to increase its processing in the domestic market. Every year, the country produces about 3.5 million tons of raw cotton and 1-1.2 million tons of cotton fibre. About 50% of the produced cotton fibre is exported.