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Uzbekistan needs to promote its textile brands, not just to sew to order. An expert on the development of the industry
Uzbekistan has adopted programs at the government level, thanks to which the volume of textile and clothing supplies abroad should grow to $ 10 billion by 2027. According to the results of last year, this figure amounted to 3.1 billion dollars, Uzbekistan sent its products to 65 countries around the world.
Development drivers
Today, the republic has a lot to grow, but in general, the sphere is doing well, according to experts. Over the past year, our country's light industry has grown by 17.4%, to almost $6.5 billion.
One of the important drivers for the development of the sphere was the release of promising niches in the Russian market after the departure of Western companies and the participation of the country's business in Russian import substitution programs.
Today, Russia is the largest consumer of the textile industry in Uzbekistan. Every year, our country supplies more and more textiles to the Russian market, and Russian clothing brands have increased the volume of orders for the production of their products in Uzbekistan several times over the past two years.
After the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in February 2022, such popular clothing brands as H&M, Zara, Bershka, Uniqlo began to leave the country en masse. Uzbekistan has taken advantage of this niche by increasing the production and supply of knitwear in the Russian Federation.
However, the increased interest in Uzbek products can be attributed not only to the departure of Western companies from Russia. Another reason was the rise in the cost of tailoring and logistics, an increase in the delivery time and delivery of goods from exporters familiar to the Russian market – China and Bangladesh. Delays reach months, during which time Uzbekistan manages to sew things, take them to Russia and even sell them.
An important role was also played by the availability of spare production facilities in the region, more favorable and understandable conditions for the creation of joint ventures, payments in rubles and cost reduction compared to China, for example, by 20-50%. All this allows Russian businesses to optimize costs throughout the supply chain and keep prices for final products from rising.
Uzbek knitwear and textiles are in demand in Russia due to their environmental friendliness, good quality and affordable price. Today, such Russian holdings as Melon Fashion Group, Concept Group, Sportmaster, Ozon marketplace, Gloria Jeans, Funday, men's and women's clothing retailer Zolla, Cozy Home network of home textiles and household goods, Crockid, Cherubino brands of children's clothing produce their products at Uzbek enterprises, "Buble-Gum", Nicolo Angi men's clothing brand, Limé women's clothing and accessories brand and many others.
Among the companies they work with are the large holdings Uztex Group, Diva-Tex, Samarkand Euro Asia Textile, and Andijan-Tex.
Connecting threads
According to independent international expert Bakhtiyor Alimjanov, today Uzbekistan has a great chance to fill Russia with its high-quality and affordable knitted clothes. In his opinion, it is difficult to compete with China and Turkey in the Russian textile market, but it is quite possible.
"Uzbekistan needs to develop its own brands, its own high-quality production, and not only sew by order of foreign companies. We have several major brands in the country, but they have not yet been put on stream. Foreign tourists buy, of course, but we have to produce it in large volumes and export it under our name," the expert noted.
"The industry needs investments. There are still a lot of production facilities in our country, but we need to build more," he stressed.
And I must say that Russia plays a big role in this process. Every year, enterprises of our countries conclude more and more cooperation agreements, create joint ventures, and establish cooperation between regions.
In particular, at the international industrial exhibition "Innoprom. Central Asia" discussed the issue of establishing cooperative ties between enterprises of the Krasnodar Territory and Uzbekistan.
It has also recently become known that the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Uztextilprom Association are launching a project to support the textile industry of Uzbekistan. At the same time, the Russian Federation will provide financial support for its implementation.
Such cooperation puts aside all sides in the black: we are developing industry, increasing production and exports, clothes with the Made in Uzbekistan tag are becoming in demand and recognizable. Russia, in turn, receives a high-quality and affordable product that can meet consumer demand.
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