AKIPRESS.COM - President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev said that export of cotton will be reduced, because the country will boost processing this resource itself, the President's press service reported.

"My largest goal is to provide jobs to citizens, the income source. Now we will start reducing export cotton abroad, processing it in the country and producing the product with added value," he said during his working visit to Jizzakh region.

According to statistics, export of Uzbek cotton in 2007 decreased by 25.2% up to 477,000 tons and its share in the export structure declined up to 3.4%, while production reduced up to 951,900 tons (-8%).

Uzbekistan annually produces about 3.5 million tons of cotton and get 1-1.2 million tons of cotton fiber, 50% of which are exported abroad.