Cotton Traders Visit Uzbekistan to Boost Legal Trade and Agricultural Cooperation
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in Afghanistan has announced that, under the “Alternative Development” program and with support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), it has facilitated a group trip of cotton traders, agricultural experts, and program partners to Uzbekistan.
The purpose of this trip is to strengthen trade ties in the cotton sector, exchange agricultural knowledge and technology, and expand regional cooperation. According to UNODC, participants in the program became familiar with Uzbekistan’s experience in cotton production, processing, and marketing.
The UN’s Alternative Development program aims to reduce farmers’ dependence on poppy cultivation by creating sustainable and legitimate economic opportunities. This initiative comes amid the fact that the livelihood of thousands of rural inhabitants in Afghanistan still depends on agriculture, with the lack of reliable markets remaining a key challenge.
Experts believe that developing value chains for legal products such as cotton and gaining access to regional markets can play a vital role in generating sustainable income for farmers. However, the success of such programs requires continuous support, adequate infrastructure, and transparent agricultural policies—issues that Afghanistan currently faces significant challenges in addressing.
