Uzbekistan is intending to invest by the end of 2019 nearly 1 billion US dollars for projects on the enhanced processing of cotton fiber and production of finished textile goods.

Owing to the favorable investment climate and special attention to the modernization of production and competitive recovery, the textile industry has turned into a leading sector of the national economy. Currently, the sector runs more than 2,500 companies, which employ more than 100,000 people, and manufacture finished products like fabric and cloth, various designs of sewed and knitted products, home textiles and carpets.

Over the last decade, the production of textile goods in Uzbekistan has multiplied 4.3 times, exports have grown fourfold, while the share of finished merchandise in the structure of production has exceeded 65%. In the first years of independence, the exporting capacity of the entire industry was as low as $7 million, while today the volume of supplies of textile products to foreign markets has exceeded $1 billion. Textile goods are exported to more than 60 countries, including novel markets like Brazil, Chile, Croatia and Nigeria.

The progress is backed by integrated reforms aimed at quality changes in the light industry. For example, idle spinning mills with worn out and power-consuming equipment have been replaced by foreign companies and joint ventures with advanced production machinery. Today, most enterprises in the industry have been upgraded, and they have launched the manufacture of competitive export-oriented products that meet international standards.

Measures on enhanced processing of cotton fiber were another important step in the development of the industry. 77 projects totaling $1 billion are scheduled for implementation by the end of 2019. To date, new capacities on the production of dyed yarn have been established on the platform of Asaka Textile Production, compact yarn – at Indorama Kokand Textile, hosiery products – at Jizzakh Grant Textile. The upgrade with advanced technologies has been completed at Uztex Tashkent and Humo Tuqimachi enterprises.

Meanwhile, as part of the program on the further development of textile, garment and knitwear industry for 2017-2021, it is planned to implement 140 projects invested by more than $2.2 billion. It is expected that the investment projects will pave the way for the establishment of textile complexes on the production of finished products with more than 27 thousand new jobs through the implementation of a vertically integrated four-stage scheme of processing basic raw materials.

In addition, it is envisaged to increase the manufacture of textile, garment and knitwear produce 2.2 times by 2021, compared to 2016, and double the exports.