Uzbekistan will reduce cotton production to 3 million tons by 2020

Almaty. January 18. Silkroadnews - Uzbek President Islam Karimov said about the reduction in production of cotton down to 3 million tons in 2020, the press service of the head of the republic reports.
“I would like to emphasize specially the issue of fundamental importance to the quality of structural changes within the country’s agriculture and the development of the economy as a whole. The point is case is about a stage-by-stage reduction of the volume of production and state purchases of cotton from 3 million 350 thousand tons to 3 million tons prior to 2020”, said Islam Karimov at the enlarged meeting of the Cabinet of Ministers dedicated to the socio-economic development in 2015.
According to him, the volume of the raw cotton produced shall fully meet the needs for the raw materials of, first of all, textile and light industry, given its deep processing, as well as to preserve the “strong position of our country as a supplier of cotton fiber and its derivatives on the global markets”.  
“While reducing the production of raw cotton down to 350 thousand tons we also release about 170.5 thousand hectares of irrigated land. The released land, as a rule, is normally the one of poor stand, with cotton yield not exceeding 12-15 centners per hectare - with the average yields of 26.1 centners per hectare as recorded through the country. The saline lands and land in the foothill areas unsuitable for cultivation of cotton are released mainly”, the President said.
He also noted another issue of importance here is also the sharp fall in global prices and demand for cotton.
“The cultivated areas released from the cotton, shall, in the first place, be used for vegetables, including potatoes, forage crops, oilseeds, orchards and vineyards. As a result of optimization of crop areas and the introduction of modern agricultural technologies by 2020 it is planned to increase production volumes of cereals up to 8.5 million tons (i.e. 16.4% growth), increase production of potatoes by 35%, other vegetables by 30, fruit and grapes by 21.5, meat - by 26.2, milk - by 47.3, eggs - by 74.5%, fish - 2.5 times”, the president added.