The roadmap is intended to boost the production of sustainable cotton in the Uzbekistan, which is one of the world’s largest cotton producers. Uzbekistan is unique for its cotton clusters—vertically integrated enterprises that handle every stage of cotton production, from growing to harvesting and processing.
The agreement will also support the profitability of Better Cotton Programme in the long term.
The roadmap was signed on 13 November, when Better Cotton hosted its annual conference in Tashkent, under the theme “Building Strategic Partnerships to Ensure Sustainable Cotton Production”. The event brought together a multistakeholder network to discuss the future of sustainable cotton in Uzbekistan.
By leveraging the partners’ networks and resources, the roadmap will streamline the enrolment of farmers, enhance field-level support, and increase investment opportunities through grants and government subsidies.
The roadmap outlined three main goals:
Establish a strategic partnership model, defining roles and responsibilities for management, finance, and implementation.
Better Cotton Uzbekistan Programme country manager Katerina Gorbunova said: “This roadmap signals that there is much more to come from Better Cotton in Uzbekistan. Together with our partners, we can strengthen the foundations of the Uzbekistan programme and develop new solutions to ensure long-term success.”
A key focus will be to train the Ministry of Agriculture and Uztekstilprom to enable them to become Better Cotton Programme Partners. This will equip them with the knowledge and tools to lead engagements with local cotton farming communities.
In addition, Better Cotton will collaborate with its partners to strengthen assurance activities, reduce audit fatigue, improve the flow of assessment data, and engage supply chain actors to highlight the benefits of processing Physical Better Cotton.
Together, the organisations will also raise awareness of Uzbek cotton both domestically and internationally, while setting long-term sustainability goals for the Better Cotton Programme.
Better Cotton launched its programme in Uzbekistan in December 2022 after the International Labour Organization’s confirmed the country had successfully eliminated systemic child labour and forced labour in its cotton sector.
Programme Partners work directly with farming communities to ensure their cotton production meets the Better Cotton Standard. Physical Better Cotton refers to cotton that has been traced throughout the supply chain.