Cotton Sub-Sector Improvement Project

closed

The Cotton Subsector Improvement Project supports: 1) the elimination of state orders, the liberalization of prices, and the privatization of the seed industry in the cotton sub-sector; 2) the development/introduction of technology to help avert negative impacts on the environment and productivity of past irrigation and pest control practices; and 3) the enhancement of the cotton sub-sector's foreign exchange earning capacity. The project supports five components: 1) the seed industry component supports the creation of private seed companies to process and market about 25,000 tons of planting seed produced by private seed companies in association with privatized seed farms; 2) the cotton marketing component supports the introduction of cotton grading technology to determine the characteristics of Uzbek cotton in conformity with internationally recognized standards; 3) the integrated pest management component provides for equipment and technical assistance for the development of insect rearing and dispersal technologies that will allow the country to economically broaden biological control of cotton pests; 4) the irrigation component provides for equipment and training to introduce irrigation scheduling technology and demonstrate effective ways to reduce water use in cotton production, while improving land productivity and avoiding water based damage to the environment; and 5) the project management and program design component will help in implementing the project.