Uzbekistan cotton industry

The 2024 harvest saw a shortage of pickers, government backtracking on positive legislation, and issues stemming from the cotton cluster system; problems rooted in continued state efforts to micromanage the industry.

Farmers pay a heavy price in the name of privatization.

In April, noted Uzbek human rights activist Umida Niyazova and a journalist were harassed by two men as they planned to tour Fergana and speak to farmers.

Cotton producer Indorama Agro silences workers speaking out against rights violations while development banks fail to ensure compliance.

The Uzbek Forum's findings from monitoring the 2023 cotton harvest point at some instances of forced labor when voluntary workers were scarce. 

A coming court verdict on the admissibility of independently verified information could have lasting negative implications for labor rights reporting in Uzbekistan.

After a dozen years, the Cotton Campaign has finally announced the end of its pledge, signed by 331 brands and retailers, to boycott Uzbek cotton on account of forced labor.

Uzbekistan has made enormous progress in eliminating forced labor, but has yet to fully eradicate it.

The landmark privatization scheme took cotton out of the government’s direct hands and placed it in private “clusters” -- but not without significant risks.

Activists stress that there is a pathway beyond the pledge, but it's a long road to full reform of the Uzbek cotton sector.

There are considerable differences with regard to forced labor in Uzbekistan and Xinjiang, but there is an underlying corporate responsibility to not engage in human rights abuses.

Despite progress, forced labor remains a reality in Uzbekistan.