The textile industry of Uzbekistan is known as one of the most dynamic and socially important sectors and ranks high among export-oriented industries of the country’s economy. The Uzbek textile industry is mainly focused on cotton, silk and wool.
Data records that light industry enterprises of Uzbekistan exported products valued at $1.1 billion in 2017. Domestic production was exported to over 50 countries worldwide and the share of goods with high added value went beyond 40 percent.
In early 2017 there were 293 exporting enterprises and by the end of the year their numbers increased to 350. The growth of export indicators was largely due to 64 trading houses which were opened abroad.
A representative from Uztekstilprom’s disclosed,“One of the effective forms of further development of the textile industry will be the creation of clusters. This model implies the organisation of a single production cycle which includes the cultivation of raw cotton, primary processing and its further processing at ginneries with the release of final products.”
Experts have already created a draft Concept of development for the medium-term perspective of cotton-textile clusters given the experience of such facilities in Navoi region.
As many as 34 investment projects on modernisation, technical and technological re-equipment of existing and creation of new enterprises with a total export potential of $151.7 million were realised this year in the light industry, simultaneously their total value exceeded $356 million.
Currently approximately 7,000 enterprises of the industry are operating in the republic. Capacity for production of cotton fibrevalued at 1.4 million tons has been created, of which about 60 percent is used to meet the needs of domestic textile enterprises.
One of the policy priorities of Uzbekistan, the world’s fifth-largest cotton exporter, is further development of its textile industry. Annually, the country grows about 3.5 million tons of raw cotton and produces 1.1 million tons of cotton fibre.
Uzbekistan takes consistent steps to increase the volume of cotton fibre processing. In particular, it is planned to create 112 modern, high-tech industrial factories, expand, modernise and technologically upgrade 20 operating capacities. All this will increase the export potential of the industry up to $2.5 billion a year and create over 25,000 jobs.
In the period 2010-2014, the textile industry of Uzbekistan received and spent foreign investments valued at $785 million while 147 new textile enterprises with participation of investors from Germany, Switzerland, Japan, South Korea, the U.S., Turkey and other countries were commissioned. Export potential of these enterprises were valued at $670 million.
