Business

Uzbekistan will supply 300,000 metric tons of cotton fiber to China this year

Uzbekistan will supply 300,000 metric tons of cotton fiber to China, which is over half of Uzbekistan’s total fiber exports. Firm contracts are expected to be signed in October, during a cotton fair in Tashkent. In August, the country had signed a deal to supply 200,000 metric tons of the fiber to Bangladesh annually.

According to Russia’s news agency RIA Novosti, Uzbek cotton exports were expected to total no less than 600,000 metric tons in the 2012-2013 season, slightly less than 620,000 metric tons sold abroad last year. The new deal means Bangladesh and China will together account for over 83 percent of Uzbek cotton exports. Previously, Bangladesh accounted for 35 percent, China for 15 percent and South Korea for 7 percent. Uzbekistan annually produces over 3 million metric tons of raw cotton and over 1 million metric tons of cotton fiber; about 60 percent of the fiber is exported.

Meanwhile, human rights groups continue opposition against use of child labor and bonded labor in Uzbek cotton harvesting. Despite growing disconcert, Uzbekistan continues with these practices, with recent reports of accidents and deaths of students in its cotton farms. However, complex supply chains make it difficult for Western apparel companies sourcing textiles and apparel from Bangladesh and China to ensure their products do not contain Uzbek cotton.

This year, after years of pressure, Tashkent has reportedly consented to limited monitoring of the cotton harvest by observers from the International Labor Organization (ILO). Human rights organizations are concerned that the Uzbek officials will carefully stage-manage the ILO tour.