Export of agricultural products produced in the Uzbekistan SSR and its characteristics

https://doi.org/10.35912/jomabs.v2i4.3392
Published: Aug 28, 2025

Abstract:

Purpose: This study aims to analyze the historical role of the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (Uzbek SSR) as the main producer and exporter of agricultural products, especially cotton, fruits, vegetables, and processed goods, while emphasizing how all exports were controlled by the Soviet Union’s central planning system.

Research methodology: The research applies a historical-analytical approach using methods of analysis and synthesis, retrospective and comparative analysis, as well as generalization and dialectical methods. Archival documents, official records, and secondary sources were examined to trace the dynamics of agricultural exports and their specific features.

Results: The findings indicate that the Uzbek SSR became the “cotton heart” of the USSR, producing more than 60% of its cotton. Agricultural exports, including fruits, vegetables, and oils, were not only economic assets but also instruments of Soviet foreign policy and soft power. These exports were presented in international exhibitions and used in foreign aid packages to strengthen ties with countries in Africa, Asia, and Europe. However, reliance on monoculture and centrally imposed quotas contributed to environmental degradation and food insecurity.

Conclusions: Centralized planning facilitated Uzbekistan’s transformation into a strategic agricultural hub but also created systemic inefficiencies and long-term vulnerabilities, particularly in ecological and economic sustainability.

Limitations: The study is limited to the availability of Soviet and post-Soviet archival materials, which may not fully capture local perspectives or informal trade practices.

Contribution: Contributes to Soviet and Central Asian studies by analyzing central planning’s impact on Uzbekistan’s agricultural exports.

Keywords:
1. Agriculture
2. Central Planning
3. Cotton
4. Soviet Union
5. Uzbekistan
Authors:
Choriyev Fazliddin Nasriddinovich
National University of Uzbekistan named after Mirzo Ulugbek Tashkent, Uzbekistan
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Nasriddinovich, C. F. . (2025). Export of agricultural products produced in the Uzbekistan SSR and its characteristics. Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Business Studies, 2(4), 543–552. https://doi.org/10.35912/jomabs.v2i4.3392
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Vol. 2 No. 4 (2025): August
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  2. Aldi, M., Febriyanti, D., & Amaliatulwalidain, A. (2024). Strategi Kemenangan Anggota Legislatif terpilih di Dapil 1 Kabupaten Musi Banyuasin Tahun 2024. Jurnal Studi Ilmu Sosial dan Politik, 3(2), 121-146. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/jasispol.v3i2.3446
  3. Asfaw, E. B. (2021). State-led cotton deregulation in Uzbekistan: Reforms and effects. Central Asian Journal of Water Research, 7(2), 121-137. doi:https://doi.org/10.29258/CAJWR/2021-R1.v7-2/121-137.eng
  4. Babadjanova, M., Bobojonov, I., Bekchanov, M., Kuhn, L., & Glauben, T. (2024). Can domestic wheat farming meet the climate change-induced challenges of national food security in Uzbekistan? International Journal of Water Resources Development, 40(3), 448-462. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2023.2290523
  5. Chathuranika, I. M., Koriyev, M. R., Wimalasiri, E. M., Asamovich, K. B., Muttil, N., & Rathnayake, U. (2023). Investigation of Rain-Fed Horticulture Productivity in the Namangan Region, Uzbekistan. Water, 15(13), 2399. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/w15132399
  6. Choriyev, F. (2025). The soviet union's policy of one-sided development of uzbekistan's agriculture through cotton crop. ????????????? ??????? ??????????? ?????????????? ????, 4(14), 5-7. doi:https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15581108
  7. Cucciolla, R. (2017). The Crisis of Soviet Power in Central Asia. The ‘Uzbek cotton affair’(1975-1991). doi:https://doi.org/10.6092/IMTLUCCA/E-THESES/213
  8. Djanibekov, U., & Finger, R. (2018). Agricultural risks and farm land consolidation process in transition countries: The case of cotton production in Uzbekistan. Agricultural systems, 164, 223-235. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2018.03.009
  9. Firaldi, Y., Wibisono, C., Ngaliman, N., Indrayani, I., & Satriawan, B. (2023). The influence of leadership, discipline, and workload on employee performance through job satisfaction as an intervening variable in Regional Revenue Agency Riau Islands Province. Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Business Studies, 1(1), 27-52. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/jomabs.v1i1.1779
  10. Janatun, M., & Rudiana, R. (2024). Pemberdayaan Masyarakat PMKS oleh Pemerintah Kota Bandung 2022: Studi pada Dinas Sosial Kota Bandung. Jurnal Studi Ilmu Sosial dan Politik, 3(2), 109-119. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/jasispol.v3i2.3146
  11. Kamp, M. (2022). Soviet Collectivization in Central Asia: Oxford University Press.
  12. Khalmirzayeva, S. (2024). Agricultural policy reforms in Uzbekistan to increase the export share. Paper presented at the E3S Web of Conferences.
  13. L, K. (2023). Features Of International Relations In The Development Of The New Uzbekistan. Development of pedagogical technologies in modern sciences, 10.
  14. Lombardozzi, L. (2023). An historical analysis of state capitalism through structural transformation: the case of Uzbekistan. Globalizations, 1-17. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2023.2221094
  15. McGuire, D., & Laaser, K. (2021). ‘You have to pick’: Cotton and state-organized forced labour in Uzbekistan. Economic and Industrial Democracy, 42(3), 552-572. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/0143831X18789786
  16. Muliyanto, M., Indrayani, I., Satriawan, B., Ngaliman, N., & Catrayasa, I. W. (2023). The influence of competence, motivation, and work culture on employee performance through self-efficacy as an intervening variable for medical support employees Regional General Hospital Tanjungpinang City. Journal of Multidisciplinary Academic Business Studies, 1(1), 1-12. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/jomabs.v1i1.1777
  17. Najjar, D., Devkota, R., & Feldman, S. (2022). Feminization, rural transformation, and wheat systems in post-soviet Uzbekistan. Journal of rural studies, 92, 143-153. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.03.025
  18. Numonzoda, S. (2023). Sharof Rashidov's Role in Cold War Diplomacy: A Soviet Uzbekistan Perspective. Formosa Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, 2, 1673. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.55927/fjmr.v2i10.6511
  19. Reid, S. E. (2017). Cold War Cultural Transactions: Designing the USSR for the West at Brussels Expo ’58. Design and Culture, 9(2), 123-145. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/17547075.2017.1333388
  20. Rezeki, S. P., Rani, M., & Syahputra, I. (2023). Pelaksanaan Tanggung Jawab Nakhoda Kapal atas Kerusakan Kapal dalam Pengangkutan Penumpang Antar Wilayah Kabupaten Natuna di Pelabuhan Rakyat Midai. Jurnal Studi Ilmu Sosial dan Politik, 3(2), 81-87. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/jasispol.v3i2.2338
  21. Ridho, F. M., Fauzan, M., Faisal, A., & Hanafi, H. (2024). The Effectiveness of Health Communication in Preventing Stunting. Jurnal Studi Ilmu Sosial dan Politik, 3(2), 99-107. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/jasispol.v3i2.2609
  22. Rustamova, I., Primov, A., Karimov, A., Khaitov, B., & Karimov, A. (2023). Crop diversification in the Aral sea region: long-term situation analysis. Sustainability, 15(13), 10221. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/su151310221
  23. Scarborough, I. (2021). Central Asia in the Soviet Command Economy: Oxford University Press.
  24. Shin, B. (2023). Connecting the two Easts: Central Asian cultural diplomats and Soviet Internationalism of the late Stalinist era, 1947–1950. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 10(1), 964. doi:https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-023-02368-5
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  26. Sobirovich, T. B. (2020). The role of the strategy of spiritual renewal in the development of a democratic society in Uzbekistan. Lessons of Imam Bukhari, 2, 118-121.
  27. Song, X., Yang, Y., Xiao, C., Zhang, C., Liu, Y., & Wang, Y. (2023). Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Food Supply–Demand Balance in Uzbekistan under Different Scenarios. Foods, 12(10), 2065. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/foods12102065
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  29. Tursunbekovich, I. S. (2016). Development Challenges Of Fruit And Vegetable Sector Of Uzbekistan. European Scientific Journal, 12(4). doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.19044/esj.2016.v12n4p99
  30. Wang, X., Zhang, J., Wang, S., Ge, Y., Duan, Z., Sun, L., . . . Chen, X. (2023). Reviving the Aral Sea: A Hydro?Eco?Social Perspective. Earth's Future, 11(11), e2023EF003657. doi:https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003657
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