Uzbekistan is becoming a new manufacturing hub for global textile brands, the chief of a department at the Ministry of Investment, Industry and Trade Timur Bazarov said in a story entitled Textile Revolution in Uzbekistan.
He provides facts and figures confirming that Uzbekistan’s integration into the global fashion industry.
Working for more than 80 brands
According to the Ministry, 66 enterprises in Uzbekistan are currently operating directly with international textile companies, including LC Waikiki, Terranova, Defacto, Murk and Inditex. Over the past three years, deals have been entered into with more than 80 foreign brands, including The North Face, Engelbert Strauss, Disney and Kiabi.
Production is distributed among key provinces: 13 enterprises in Namangan province, 10 in Tashkent city, 8 in Tashkent province, 7 in Samarkand and Fergana. Their total capacity is ove 850 thousand tons of products per year.
Economic effect
Reportedly, in 2024, enterprises collaborating with international brands manufactured 273 thousand tons of textile goods worth 12.9 trillion soums. Of this volume, 40.1 thousand tons are exported RMGs worth 435.4 million dollars. The ratio of exports in the total production volume of these companies is 42% - a figure testifying to the high competitiveness in foreign markets.
The sector employs over 37.5 thousand people, thereby helping address unemployment in the provinces.
The planned $84 million of investment for 2025 look relatively modest against the backdrop of the scale of the industry, but it is important that we are talking about direct foreign investment tied to specific contracts and technologies. In 2025, it is planned to launch 20 new production lines. The projects provide for the production of an additional 33 million units of finished products, 600 thousand sq. m of finishing fabrics and 25 thousand tons of knitted fabric, the story noted.
Prospects and risks
“If current trends continue, Uzbekistan has every chance to consolidate its status as an important and reliable link in the global fashion production chain in the coming years, joining the ranks of recognized industry leaders,” the senior official stressed.
In mid-August, at the government meeting on support for the textile industry, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev gave directives to take measures to expand the export of finished clothing to Europe and the United States by opening trading houses in St. Louis and New York and establishing cooperation with international brands.
However, according to industry experts, the challenges for Uzbek textile industry include the need for technological modernization, the introduction of environmental production standards, and dependence on global demand for clothing.
The solution to these issues will determine whether Uzbekistan will be able to turn textiles into one of the key export industries with high added value.
