"We were all slaves to cotton due to lack of political will" — president

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev noted that due to the lack of political will, cotton cultivation in Uzbekistan previously covered almost all aspects of state and social life, even schoolchildren were forced to work in the fields. The head of state explained this situation by saying, “Due to the lack of political will, we were all slaves to cotton.”

These words were spoken in response to the speech of the governor of Syrdarya region Erkinjon Turdimov at the ceremony of commissioning new facilities in the country’s regions on the occasion of the 35th anniversary of independence.

The regional head touched upon the reforms implemented in the country over the past decade and noted that under the leadership of the president, Uzbekistan has been freed from “cotton slavery.” Erkinjon Turdimov said: “You often say that we were slaves to cotton. You have also freed us from cotton slavery. Schoolchildren would not leave the fields. These things did not happen by themselves.”

The president noted that due to the past cotton policy, the country has been focused on agricultural work almost all year round. According to Shavkat Mirziyoyev: “But everyone has forgotten that slavery. Due to the lack of political will, we were all slaves to cotton, in fact. We were engaged in plowing, weeding, defoliation, harvesting twenty-four hours a day, twelve months a year. We did nothing else.”

Turdimov also reported that in recent years, Syrdarya region has transformed from an agrarian region into an industrialized one. The governor said: “Syr Darya region has also transformed from an agrarian region into an industrialized region, esteemed president. Even now, we are watching TV, and many facilities are being opened. All of these facilities are the result of your reforms. If we look back to the Soviet era, a decision of the CPSU was made to open this facility. Then this one remained incomplete, and this one remained incomplete, esteemed president.” The president continued his speech, saying, “One school would be built in three years.”

The regional governor said that it is planned to attract $2 billion in investment to Syrdarya in 2026. Turdimov said: “We are also attracting $2 billion in investment in Syrdarya region this year.”

The president noted that such indicators had previously seemed unreliable for Syrdarya. The head of state said: “Would anyone [person] believe that it would be possible to attract $2 billion in investment in Syrdarya? No one would believe it. It would be possible.”

According to Erkinjon Turdimov, ten years ago, there was almost no investment in the region. Today, the investment volume per hectare of land in the Syrdarya free economic zone has reached almost $4 million.

He noted that the mood of the Syrdarya residents is high and they are ready to fulfill the tasks set by the regional president. Erkinjon Turdimov said: “Today, frankly, the mood of the Syrdarya residents is very high. We will fulfill all the tasks you have set with all our heart.”

The president has previously condemned the cotton policy. During a visit to the Syrdarya region in December 2025, he noted that people’s lives were wasted in cotton fields. The president noted: “Our lives were wasted in cotton. We suffered for 27 years. We all saw this scourge called cotton in the fields, not one of us was left behind.”

Recall that in 2022, the International Labor Organization (ILO) announced that Uzbekistan would stop the systematic use of child and forced labor in cotton harvesting. The Cotton Campaign lifted a long-standing global boycott of Uzbek cotton. In the same year, the Better Cotton Initiative officially launched a program to support producers in Uzbekistan in growing cotton that is more beneficial for the environment, local populations, and the economy.