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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Uzbekistan
Index
Uzbekistan's industrial sector accounted for 33 percent of its NMP in
1991. Despite some efforts to diversify its industrial base, industry
remains dominated by raw materials extraction and processing, most of
which is connected with cotton production and minerals (see table 22,
Appendix). As illustrated especially by the domestic oil industry, in the
Soviet era industrial production generally lagged behind consumption,
making Uzbekistan a net importer of many industrial products. Under the
difficult economic conditions caused by the collapse of the Soviet Union's
system of allocations and interdependence of republics, this situation has
worsened. In 1993 total manufacturing had decreased by 1 percent from its
1990 level, and mining output had decreased by more than 8 percent (see
table 6, Appendix).
Heavy Industry
The Tashkent region, in the northeastern "peninsula" adjacent
to the Fergana Valley, accounts for about one-third of the industrial
output of Uzbekistan, with agricultural machinery the most important
product. The city is the nucleus of an industrial region that was
established near mineral and hydroelectric resources stretching across
northeastern Uzbekistan from the Syrdariya in the west to the easternmost
point of the nation. Electricity for the industries of the region comes
from small hydroelectric stations along the Chirchiq River and from a
gas-fired local power station.
Uzbekistan's most productive heavy industries have been extraction of
natural gas and oil; oil refining; mining and mineral processing; machine
building, especially equipment for cotton cultivation and the textile
industry; coal mining; and the ferrous metallurgy, chemical, and
electrical power industries. The chemical manufacturing industry focuses
primarily on the production of fertilizer.
Two oil refineries in Uzbekistan, located at Farghona and Amtiari, have
a combined capacity of 173,000 barrels per day. Other centers of the
processing industries include Angren (for coal), Bekobod (steel), Olmaliq
(copper, zinc, and molybdenum), Zarafshon (gold), and Yangiobod (uranium).
The Uzbek fertilizer industry was established at Chirchiq, northeast of
Tashkent, near Samarqand, and at several sites in the Fergana Basin.
Uzbekistan is the largest producer of machinery for all phases of cotton
cultivation and processing, as well as for irrigation, in the former
Soviet Union. The machine building industry is centered at Tashkent,
Chirchiq, Samarqand, and Andijon in the east, and at Nukus in
Karakalpakstan.
Light Industry
The predominant light industries are primary processing of cotton, wool,
and silk into fabric for export, and food processing. In 1989 light
industry accounted for 27.1 percent of industrial production; that
category was completely dominated by two sectors, textiles (18.2 percent)
and agricultural food processing (8.9 percent). The nature of the Uzbek
textile industry in the mid-1990s reflects the Soviet allotment to
Uzbekistan of primary textile processing rather than production of
finished products. Food processing has diversified to some degree; the
industry specializes in production of dried apricots, raisins, and
peaches. Other products are cottonseed oil for cooking, wine, and tobacco.
Data as of March 1996
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