NGOs flag coercion risks for Uzbek cotton farmers
The Uzbekistan government is violating the human and labour rights of cotton and wheat farmers through a coercive state production system, according to Human Rights Watch and Uzbek Forum for Human Rights. These abuses continue despite recent agricultural reforms.
A new report, Farmers Have no Freedom: Abuse and Exploitation of Cotton and Wheat Farmers in Uzbekistan, documents abusive conditions under which these farmers work, including mandatory quotas for crops on land they lease from the government, to be sold at centralised set prices, enforced through penalties for not meeting the quotas, even though required yields may not be achievable.
For the full story, see the March 2026 edition of Textiles Eastern Europe.
Photo: Uzbek Forum for Human Rights