In the 2026 cotton season, 2,000 soums will be paid for manual picking

The most responsible and intense period of the year in Uzbekistan's agrarian sector — the cotton harvesting season has officially started. The main financial indicator of direct interest to millions of rural residents, farmers, and textile clusters — the wage rates paid for the harvested crop have been announced. According to the official procedure, it was established that pickers will be paid in cash 2,000 soums for each kilogram of cotton picked by hand in the field. For each kilogram of "white gold" harvested with the help of special harvesting machines and combines, an amount of 1,400 soums and 1,500 soums is allocated.

These figures caused great interest and debate in the public: because last year, the price for manual picking was approved at exactly 2,000 soums, and no indexing or increase was observed in this year's prices. In the conditions of daily food expenses and inflation, how will the interests of pickers be protected, what kind of control has been established against forced labor in the fields, and how will machine harvesting, which turns out cheaper, affect the income of rural people?

"The 2,000-sum tariff and daily income up to 300 thousand soums": Analysis of important figures

Specific indicators of payments and incomes in the 2026 cotton harvest:

• Value of manual picking: A picker is paid a full 2,000 soums for one kilogram of high-quality cotton picked by hand;

• Cost of machine harvesting: 1,400 – 1,500 soums is set for 1 kg of cotton during mechanical harvesting, which costs the cluster and farmer 25-30 percent cheaper than manual labor;

• Calculation of daily real income: Considering that an experienced and agile picker can pick 80–120 kg of cotton per day, on average they have the opportunity to make a net income of 160 thousand soums to 240 thousand soums per day, and some advanced ones up to 300 thousand soums;

• Family piecework profit: If 2-3 people from one household go to the field, an additional 400–600 thousand soums will enter the family's daily budget;

• Factor of price immutability: The preservation of last year's price (2,000 soums) is explained by the need to keep the cost of cotton competitive in the conditions of declining global prices on foreign exchanges.

"Hot meals, transport and daily calculation": Strict requirements on the shoulders of clusters

Rules established to create convenience for pickers and ensure human dignity:

• Daily and transparent payment: At the end of the day, each picker must receive their money in cash or on a plastic card on the same day, depending on the weight of the cotton they handed over on the scale;

• Free food and water supply: It is controlled that clusters organize hot lunch, clean drinking water, and rest tents for citizens working in the field;

• Free transport commute: Special buses are allocated to transport people to and from remote villages to the field;

• Strict monitoring and "Hotlines": Round-the-clock raids are being conducted by the labor inspectorate and trade unions against forced labor, especially the forced involvement of budget organization employees and youth.

Era of machine harvesting: The revolution of combines in cotton growing

Global changes observed in Uzbekistan's agro-industry:

• Sharp increase in machinery: In recent years, high-efficiency cotton harvesting combines produced in the USA, China, and local enterprises have been widely imported into the country's fields;

• Speed and cost advantage: A single modern machine performs the labor of hundreds of people in a day, guaranteeing the harvesting of cotton before the rainy days begin without wasting it;

• Response to the decrease in pickers: Following the transition of people in rural areas to services, small business, and greenhouses, a shortage of manual labor is appearing in the fields, and combines are filling this gap;

• Future goal: In the near future, it is envisioned to harvest more than 70 percent of the "white gold" grown in our country solely by the power of machinery.

The entry into force of the 2,000-sum price opens up a great opportunity for rural workers to earn seasonal extra money, while also showing that the national cotton industry is transitioning to full industrialization and market laws.

In your opinion, against the background of current inflation and market prices, is the 2,000-sum payment for 1 kg of hand-picked cotton sufficient for the hard labor of pickers, or should the price have been at least 2,500 – 3,000 soums? Will the popularization of machine harvesting negatively affect the seasonal income of ordinary people in the village, or conversely, will it ease labor? Leave your feedback in the comments and share this most complete analytical article about the cotton season with all your friends and farming acquaintances!