Uzbek cotton industry faultlines

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A leading Uzbekistan cotton cluster boss hails big reforms and new subsidies, even as human rights campaigners claim farmers still struggle to escape exploitation

Uzbekistan’s cotton sector has been under intense scrutiny since the end of state‑imposed forced labour in 2022, yet recent research suggests many farmers remain trapped in a coercive system of quotas, debt and land seizures.

New subsidies for large cotton clusters have been highlighted by the Uzbek Forum for Human Rights (UFHR) as further evidence of the state's oppression of individual cotton farmers.

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