Uzbekistan: from 2027 cotton is to be harvested by machine only — machines picked 75–80% of this season's crop

Uzbekistan's Minister of Agriculture Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov said at a press conference on November 6 that from next year cotton in the country is planned to be harvested only by machine. According to the ministry, machines picked 75–80% of this season's crop; the president's address of November 4 gave a figure of 85%. The report was published on November 8.

Key figures

• From 2027 — machines only
• Machines picked 75–80%
• About 3,000 machines in use
• 1,500 bought in 2026
• 53,000 ha leave cotton
• Jizzakh, Syrdarya — 100%

What changed

Asked about timing, the minister said: “Next year we will move to 100%.” In 2026 hand picking was allowed mainly on technological strips 11 metres wide where machines turn, and on small plots and fields between orchards. About 53,000 ha of fields that large machines cannot reach are planned to be shifted gradually to vegetables and other food crops; the minister called growing cotton on 1–1.5 ha plots impractical.

In figures

Ministry data given at the press conference:

• More than 5 million tonnes of raw cotton were harvested; machines picked 75–80% of the crop and hand picking about 20–23%.
• About 3,000 cotton harvesters took part, 1,500 of them bought this year.
• In the Syrdarya and Jizzakh regions mechanisation reached 100%.
• In February, at a meeting with the president, it was reported that 1,756 machines had been bought and mechanisation stood at 52%; for 2026 another 800 cotton harvesters and 6,000 seeders, tractors and combines were planned.
• About ten years ago almost all cotton was picked by hand and mechanisation was below 25%.

What it means for a buyer

A move to fully machine harvesting means cotton farms will have to rely on machinery, their own or hired. Fields that large machines cannot reach are planned to move to vegetables and other food crops, so it is better to settle the 2027 crop mix in advance. A farm renewing its fleet should order equipment with time in hand so delivery arrives in time for the season. Used John Deere tractors and combines from the USA are one option for renewing a fleet, including for other crops.

Source: Ministry of Agriculture of Uzbekistan (press conference of November 6), as reported by Gazeta.uz, November 8, 2026