Uzbekistan plans to end manual cotton picking by 2027

The Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan plans to fully mechanize cotton harvesting by 2027 to end manual picking across the country.

Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov, the Minister of Agriculture, stated that the government intends to use machines exclusively for the harvest starting next year. The government will remove approximately 53,000 hectares of cotton fields from production because the land is inaccessible to harvesting machinery. Farmers will instead use these areas to grow vegetables and other food crops.

While the ministry said it did not issue instructions to force people into the harvest this year, manual picking was previously allowed only on 11-meter-wide strips to allow machines to turn around. The World Bank previously noted that mechanization would reduce the need for mass labor mobilization but might remove a source of seasonal income for rural residents.

Uzbekistan harvested more than 5 million tonnes of raw cotton in 2026, a significant increase from the 4 million tonnes collected the previous year.