Uzbekistan reports record 2026 cotton harvest exceeding five million tonnes

Uzbekistan harvested more than five million tonnes of raw cotton in 2026, Euronews reported on November 6. The output marks the largest crop for the Central Asian nation since it gained independence in 1991. [1][3]

According to Euronews, officials stated that the harvest represents an increase of approximately 25 percent compared with 2025. Agriculture Minister Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov told journalists that the 2025 harvest reached about four million tonnes. The 2026 crop also beat the initial target set by the government of 4.5 million tonnes. [1]

Euronews reported that officials credit the record output to revised planting methods, new cotton varieties, and broader use of harvesting machinery, with machines picking around 85 percent of the crop. President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who has served as president since 2016, set a higher yield target for 2027. [1][2]

Cotton remains a key sector in the Uzbek economy alongside natural gas, gold, and manufacturing, while the country pursues economic liberalization. As FTMQ News reported earlier, President Mirziyoyev also met with United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Samarkand in October 2026 to announce nearly 12 billion dollars in business deals. [4][5]