Cotton Campaign: one of the main factors in the eradication of forced labor in Uzbekistan was the fundamental reforms in agriculture initiated by the President of Uzbekistan
Minister of Agriculture of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khodjaev met with a delegation of the Cotton Campaign International Coalition led by its co-founder Bennett Freeman.
At the beginning of the meeting, Bennett Freeman noted that since 2019, under the leadership of the leader of the state, activities in the agricultural sector have been implemented in a surprisingly active phase. The results are reflected in successful reforms and modernization processes, which the Cotton Campaign is watching with great interest.
The foreign side emphasized the importance of the fact that the government of Uzbekistan had eradicated forced labor in the cotton harvest. All this became possible thanks to the fundamental reforms in the field of agriculture, initiated by the President, as well as the comprehensive work of the National Commission to Combat Forced Labor together with the concerned ministries and the ILO, civil society.
During the meeting, Minister Khodjaev presented an overview of the work done in the process of reforms initiated by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and also announced the ways found to solve problems and difficulties that arise in the agricultural sector.
Thus, as part of the implementation of the “Strategy for the Development of Agriculture of the Republic of Uzbekistan until 2030”, approved by the President, the interference of local authorities (khokimiyats) in the agricultural activities of farmers has been eliminated, the practice of state orders for the production of cotton and grain has been canceled, market principles are being introduced to ensure free competition in agriculture. economy.
Cotton Campaign Program Coordinator Alison Gill said during the meeting:“It can be stated that today we are no longer discussing issues of forced labor, we are discussing increasing the income of workers, which I am very happy about.”
The foreign side welcomed the decision of the Government of Uzbekistan to allocate land plots to farmers on the basis of auctions, without the intervention of regional and regional administrations.
Khodjaev noted that cluster production is actively developing, and over the past 4 years, most of the investments in the amount of US$1.4 billion have been directed specifically to the creation of cotton-textile clusters in the country.
Also in December last year, a Presidential Decree was signed, which makes it possible to create two or more agricultural clusters in one area, which accordingly creates convenience for farmers, as they can choose one or more clusters for joint work.
Uzbekistan welcomes Cotton Campaign’s decision to lift boycott of Uzbek cotton
Uzbekistan welcomes the decision of the international coalition Cotton Campaign to lift the boycott of Uzbek cotton. This is stated in a statement by the press secretary of the President of Uzbekistan SherzodAsadov.
“The boycott, which has been in effect for more than 12 years, has been canceled due to the absence of systematic child and forced labor during the 2021 cotton harvest in our country,” he said.
“The fact that Uzbekistan has done away with systematic child and forced labor in the cotton industry was previously recognized by the International Labor Organization,” Asadov added.
“All this indicates that the reforms carried out by President ShavkatMirziyoyev to exalt the honor and dignity of a person will be resolutely continued and have become irreversible,” he stressed.
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