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Uzbekistan
Industry
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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