Uzbekistan, Tashkent, Oct. 16 /Trend D.Azizov /
Uzbekistan plans to provide mechanized harvesting of 80-90 per cent of cotton by 2016, Uzbek Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev said at the International Uzbek Cotton and Textile Fair, which kicked off on Wednesday in Tashkent.
Over 1,000 cotton-picking machines manufactured at the Tashkent Tractor Plant (TTP) are participating in this year's cotton harvest, Prime Minister said.
Shavkat Mirziyoyev underlined that the Uzbek machine builders have created fundamentally new cotton picking machines, which for technical specifications, pricing and service options meet the needs of farmers.
The TTP is scheduled to manufacture some 3,000 cotton-picker machines in 2014. New machines were for the first time presented at the Cotton and Textile Fair.
"We continue to work to improve the cotton harvesting machinery. At the moment six more modifications of the cotton harvesting equipments, where modern technical solutions were used, are being tested," Mirziyoyev said.
Up to 50,000 cotton harvesting machines were working at Uzbeksitan's cotton fields till 1991, some 70 per cent of the harvests were carried out by the mechanized means.
Tashselmash plant, specializing in the production of cotton harvesting machinery, was annually producing up to 7,000 machines, a part of which were exported.
Uzselkhozmash-holding, which united enterprises of agricultural engineering was liquidated in 2008 by Uzbek President's decree. Tashselmash plant was also liquidated and production of cotton pickers was discontinued.
Uzbekistan holds sixth place in the world on cotton fibre production and third place in the export. Uzbekistan annually produces around 3.5 million tons of raw cotton and 1-1.2 million tons of cotton fibre. Over 95 per cent of the cotton account for medium fibre bred varieties with a fibre length of 32-33 millimetres, and the rest account for long fibre at 36-39 millimetres.