According to a statement by Minister of Agriculture Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov, cotton harvesting in the country will be carried out exclusively by machine starting next year. This decision applies to all cotton fields, except for 11-meter-wide technological strips required for machinery to turn.
Changes in crop structure and harvest volumes
As part of the transition to mechanization, authorities plan to change land use. Approximately 53,000 hectares of cotton fields that are technically inaccessible to harvesting machines will be gradually phased out of cotton production. These areas are planned to be allocated for growing vegetables and other food crops.
Indicators and plans
The republic has also established its own production of cotton harvesting machinery. The minister emphasized that the department did not issue orders regarding the forced involvement of the population in works this year, noting that the participation of farmers' family members is possible only based on their own interests.
Context
The issue of mechanization has been discussed in the country for a long time: as early as 2013, the government set a goal to reach a level of 80–90% by 2016. Previously, according to World Bank studies, between 2.2 and 3 million people participated in cotton campaigns.
