Uzbekistan Turns Away From Cotton as Fergana Orchards Open a New Agritourism Opportunity

IMAGE CREDIT : https://gov.uz/en/fargonatuman/news/view/160529

Uzbekistan has begun developing an agricultural tourism project in the Fergana Valley. The government announced in April of 2026 the designation of 50,000 hectares of low-efficiency cotton and grain fields and orchards to the development of super-intensive orchards. President Mirziyoyev stated that agricultural tourism provides additional economic potential to this region of Uzbekistan. The Fergana Valley, in addition to 3.8 million tourist visits and $185 million in tourist service exports in 2025, will provide tourists access to rural areas and opportunities for local food and farm recreation and scenic tourism in the mountainous region and raspberry plantations of Eastern Uzbekistan.

Cotton Land Is Entering a New Phase in Fergana

Uzbekistan is changing how some of its agricultural land is used, and the transformation is particularly visible in the Fergana region. At a regional development meeting on 28 April 2026, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev directed officials to prepare a large programme for super-intensive orchards on 50,000 hectares currently occupied by low-yield cotton and grain fields, along with inefficient orchards.

The decision does not mean Uzbekistan is abandoning cotton. Cotton remains an important agricultural and textile commodity, but the government is seeking greater value from land where existing production is considered inefficient.

The same official programme calls for the renewal of 5,500 hectares of outdated orchards. Fergana has 370,000 hectares of irrigated land, including 55,000 hectares already occupied by orchards and vineyards, according to the presidential administration.

Officials estimate that better use of available agricultural resources could produce an additional 300,000 tonnes of fruit and vegetables and add around two trillion soums in economic value. The region has also been tasked with increasing fruit and vegetable exports by 25% to US$500 million.

That agricultural shift matters for tourism because fruit-growing landscapes are already being incorporated into Fergana’s visitor economy. Raspberry plantations, orchards, rural food experiences and agricultural communities are becoming part of officially backed tourism projects rather than remaining separate from the destination’s tourism strategy.

Uzbekistan’s Cotton Legacy Has Already Undergone Major Reform

Cotton has had an unusually significant economic and social role in Uzbekistan. The International Labour Organization estimated that almost two million people were recruited each year for the cotton harvest before reforms changed labour practices and the organisation’s monitoring system.

The ILO reported in 2022 that Uzbekistan had eradicated systemic forced labour and systemic child labour during the 2021 cotton production cycle. Its monitoring found that 99% of people involved in the 2021 harvest worked voluntarily, marking an important change in the sector’s international standing.

The World Bank has also documented Uzbekistan’s wider move away from strong state control over cotton production towards a market-oriented agricultural system. The reforms have included liberalisation, expanded domestic textile processing and attempts to generate more value from agricultural production.

Readers can review the institutional background through the International Labour Organization assessment of Uzbekistan’s cotton reforms.

This history gives the new orchard programme wider significance. Fergana is not simply replacing one crop with another; it is part of a longer economic shift towards diversified agriculture, processing, services and new forms of rural employment.

Why Fergana Orchards Matter for Agritourism

Agritourism works best when visitors can interact with a genuine local economy rather than an attraction created solely for tourists. Fergana’s expanding fruit sector creates that foundation through working orchards, raspberry farms, vineyards, food production and agricultural settlements.

Government tourism policy is already moving in that direction. The Fergana tourist and recreational zone, established under a presidential resolution dated 12 January 2026, covers 2,396 hectares and is planned to operate for 30 years, with the possibility of extension.

One of its most direct agritourism components is the Vodil raspberry cluster. Authorities plan infrastructure within raspberry plantations so visitors can access tourism and service facilities in a working agricultural setting.

Additional raspberry plantations are planned in the Sanoat and Khosilot mahallas. The programme also includes refrigeration facilities and deep-processing workshops, linking visitor activity with the agricultural supply chain rather than treating agritourism as an isolated sightseeing product.

That creates opportunities for farm visits, seasonal produce experiences, regional cuisine and direct interaction with producers. Government documents do not yet specify individual visitor packages or commercial tour itineraries, so such products should not be presented as confirmed until operators announce them.

Fergana Tourism Is Already Growing From a Significant Base

Fergana is not starting its tourism expansion from zero. Official regional data show that visitor numbers increased from 246,000 in 2016 to 3.8 million in 2025, while tourism-service exports reached US$185 million last year.

The presidential administration has separately reported that foreign tourist arrivals to Fergana exceeded 500,000 for the first time in 2025, while domestic tourist visits surpassed three million.

Those figures help explain why agricultural diversification could matter commercially. An established visitor base gives local farms, food producers, guesthouses and tour operators a larger potential market for experiences beyond Fergana’s traditional historical and cultural attractions.

Fergana’s tourism appeal is also geographically varied. Official plans identify Kokand and Margilan for pilgrimage and cultural tourism, while Fergana, Sokh, Quva and other districts are being developed around nature, health, recreation and rural experiences.

The result is a destination that can increasingly combine heritage cities with countryside experiences. Such diversification is important for extending stays and distributing visitor spending beyond individual monuments and urban centres.

Fergana Tourism Infrastructure Is Expanding Alongside Agriculture

IMAGE CREDIT :https://gov.uz/en/fargonatuman/news/view/160529

The agricultural programme is being introduced while major visitor infrastructure is also under development. The Fergana tourist zone is planned to include electricity, drinking water, wastewater systems, internet infrastructure and improved road connections.

Tourism facilities outlined by the Tourism Committee include pedestrian and bicycle routes, electric-vehicle charging points, tourist service areas, food and souvenir outlets and recreational infrastructure. Projects are also planned along the Shohimardon–Yordon and Yordon–Dugoba routes.

Government plans also cover the year-round Shohimardon–Yordon international resort zone, while the Karkidon reservoir area in Quva district is being developed for active recreation and ecotourism. A 508-hectare tourism complex at Karkidon includes 45 chalets, 57 guesthouses, an agritourism complex, a flower park, lavender fields, restaurants and an eco-bazaar.

These projects show that Uzbekistan agritourism is being positioned within a broader tourism network. Visitors could increasingly combine countryside experiences with mountains, reservoirs, cultural heritage, food and accommodation rather than making a single-purpose farm visit.

Key Fergana Tourism and Agricultural Developments

Sources: Presidency of Uzbekistan, Tourism Committee of Uzbekistan and Fergana regional authorities.

Water Security Will Be Central to the Orchard Transition

Expanding intensive orchards in the Fergana Valley cannot be separated from water availability. Agriculture in the valley depends heavily on irrigation, while ageing infrastructure and climate pressures have created significant losses across the system.

A World Bank report published on 2 September 2026 said outdated irrigation infrastructure and climate impacts had previously contributed to losses of more than one billion cubic metres of water annually across the Ferghana Valley. A project co-financed by the International Development Association and European Union has rehabilitated around 365 kilometres of irrigation canals and nearly 1,500 water-control structures.

The improvements benefit more than 100,000 hectares and an estimated 65,000 farmers. The project has generated annual water savings of about 130 million cubic metres, according to the World Bank.

More detail is available through the World Bank’s September 2026 Ferghana Valley irrigation assessment.

For tourism, stronger water management has an indirect but important role. Healthy orchards, productive rural communities and dependable landscapes are necessary if farm-based visitor experiences are to develop sustainably.

Uzbekistan’s National Tourism Market Is Expanding Rapidly

Fergana’s transformation is taking place during a strong period for Uzbekistan tourism. The National Statistics Committee recorded 7,749,308 foreign visitors for tourism purposes between January and July 2026, an increase of 22.6% from the same period in 2025.

The Tourism Committee reported tourism-service exports of US$3.8957 billion during January–July 2026. That represented a 56% year-on-year increase, according to the committee’s August update.

For the first half of 2026, 6.6 million international tourists visited the country and tourism-service exports reached US$2.8 billion. The country also recorded more than 13.4 million domestic trips under the Travel Around Uzbekistan programme.

Accommodation capacity is expanding alongside demand. By July 2026, Uzbekistan had 7,440 accommodation facilities with around 202,600 beds after 705 new facilities added 22,296 beds during the first seven months of the year.

These national trends give regional destinations a larger base of travellers to attract. Fergana’s challenge is to convert that growth into longer stays, greater local expenditure and sustainable business opportunities.

Tourism Is Already Creating Jobs and Investment Opportunities

Uzbekistan’s Tourism Committee reported that 97 tourism projects worth US$200.2 million were launched during the first half of 2026. Those projects created 2,134 new jobs, while the number of international hotel brands operating in the country reached 31.

Fergana has its own investment pipeline. Authorities plan to launch 50 tourism projects worth US$300 million by the end of 2027, covering different parts of the region’s visitor economy.

The agritourism model could broaden the range of businesses participating in this expansion. Farms, small food producers, processors, guesthouses, restaurants, guides, transport providers and craft businesses can all sit within the tourism value chain when rural areas are integrated into destination planning.

The government has specifically said the Fergana tourism zone is intended to involve local residents in service businesses and entrepreneurship. The programme also seeks to create jobs through tourism services around the Central Fergana Reservoir during 2026 and 2027.

Hotels and Tour Operators Could Gain New Itinerary Options

For hotels, the expansion of Fergana Valley tourism creates opportunities beyond simple increases in room nights. Rural excursions can give visitors reasons to remain in the region for additional days while using Fergana city, Kokand or Margilan as bases.

Tour operators could pair heritage attractions with orchards, raspberry farms, mountain recreation or regional food experiences when such products become commercially available. That would create more varied itineraries for repeat visitors and travellers seeking experiences outside Uzbekistan’s best-known Silk Road circuit.

Local guides could also benefit from a wider geographical spread of attractions. However, quality control will matter because agricultural sites require visitor management, sanitation, safety standards and clear agreements between farmers and tourism businesses.

International hotel companies may find regional growth more commercially attractive as visitor volumes increase. Uzbekistan reported 31 international hotel brands by mid-2026, although official sources reviewed for this report do not identify a specific new international hotel project directly tied to the orchard programme.

Air Connectivity Supports Regional Tourism Growth

Uzbekistan’s aviation market is expanding alongside tourism. The Tourism Committee said the country’s airports handled 8.15 million passengers between January and June 2026, a 16% year-on-year increase.

Airports handled 64,831 flights in that period, up 8%, while international flights increased 12% to 47,371. International passenger traffic reached 6.7 million, representing growth of 15.4%.

New services to Tashkent during 2026 have included routes operated by China Eastern from Shanghai and Asiana Airlines from Seoul. Etihad Airways also began Abu Dhabi–Tashkent operations on 10 August 2026, according to the Tourism Committee.

Fergana itself remains connected to the national air network, including Uzbekistan Airways services. Travellers should check current airline schedules before planning connections because frequencies can change seasonally.

Greater national connectivity does not automatically mean every new international visitor will travel to Fergana. It does, however, give tour operators and regional tourism authorities a broader pool of travellers who can be encouraged to explore beyond Uzbekistan’s primary gateways.

Visa Access Makes Uzbekistan Easier to Combine With Regional Trips

Uzbekistan continues to maintain broad visa-free access alongside an electronic visa system for eligible nationalities. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs publishes the current country lists and applicable stay periods, which travellers should check before departure.

Visa requirements differ by nationality and can change. Travellers should therefore rely on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs rather than third-party visa websites when determining whether they qualify for visa-free entry or need an electronic or consular visa.

Easy entry is particularly important for Fergana because the valley sits within a wider Central Asian travel corridor. Improved border access and regional itineraries can support longer multi-country journeys, although individual crossing requirements must always be checked before travel.

Agritourism Could Spread Spending Into Rural Communities

Traditional destination tourism often concentrates expenditure around major hotels, monuments and city centres. Rural tourism in Uzbekistan can distribute part of that spending towards farms, household businesses and communities outside established urban attractions.

Fergana’s tourism-zone policy directly connects agricultural activity with entrepreneurship. Raspberry plantations are expected to contain service facilities, while processing and cold-storage investment is intended to strengthen the agricultural economy around them.

This approach is important because tourism becomes more economically useful when visitor spending circulates through different local industries. Accommodation, food, transport, agriculture, retail and guiding can all benefit from the same visitor journey.

The World Bank’s horticulture work in Uzbekistan has found that improved horticultural productivity and market access can support employment and higher-value rural economic activity. That evidence concerns agriculture rather than tourism specifically, so it should not be interpreted as a forecast of tourism employment from the Fergana orchard programme.

What Travellers Could Experience in Fergana

Fergana remains best known internationally for its Silk Road heritage, craft traditions and cities such as Kokand and Margilan. The government’s latest development programme is broadening that offering towards countryside and recreational tourism.

Official tourism material identifies orchard walks, agricultural activities, natural foods and rural cultural experiences around the Vodil area. Raspberry cultivation is being treated as a visitor attraction within the wider tourism zone.

Travellers may also combine rural areas with Kokand’s cultural heritage sites, Margilan, mountain districts and new recreation projects. Some developments remain under construction or planning, so visitors should confirm whether individual facilities are operating before including them in an itinerary.

Seasonality will also matter. Blossoming orchards, fruit harvests and agricultural activities occur at different points in the year, and government sources do not yet provide one official agritourism calendar covering the region.

Future Plans Remain Tied to Official Tourism Targets

Uzbekistan has set ambitious national tourism targets. President Mirziyoyev told UN Tourism Secretary-General Shaikha Nasser Al Nowais in April 2026 that the country plans to reach 20 million international tourists by 2030 and raise tourism’s share of GDP to 7%.

Fergana is expected to contribute to that growth through cultural, pilgrimage, medical, ecological and agricultural tourism. The president has said foreign tourist flows to Fergana could be increased by two to three times, while directing regional authorities to develop additional tourism projects.

Those statements are government targets rather than guaranteed outcomes. Their achievement will depend on project delivery, accommodation capacity, transport, service quality, environmental management and the ability of regional businesses to turn infrastructure into commercially viable visitor experiences.

The 50,000-hectare orchard programme should therefore be understood as one part of a much broader economic plan. Its significance for tourism lies in how closely Fergana’s agricultural, infrastructure and destination-development policies are now being pursued at the same time.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Fergana already open to tourists while the orchard and tourism projects are being developed?

Yes. Fergana is an established tourism region, and official data show it received 3.8 million visitors in 2025. The new orchard, agritourism and resort projects are additions to existing destinations, but travellers should check the operating status of individual new facilities before visiting.

Do international travellers need a visa to visit Uzbekistan and Fergana?

It depends on nationality. Uzbekistan provides visa-free entry to citizens of many countries and offers electronic or simplified visa procedures for others, but permitted stays and eligibility vary. Travellers should check the latest requirements directly with Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs before booking.

How can travellers reach Fergana?

Fergana can be reached through domestic air and surface transport connections, while wider international access to Uzbekistan is expanding through Tashkent and other airports. Travellers should confirm current flight and rail schedules close to departure because frequencies, routes and seasonal timetables can change.

Conclusion

The new efforts combining agriculture and tourism in Fergana Valley revolutionize how visitors explore eastern Uzbekistan. The country’s 50,000-hectare orchard program. the new tourism zone, raspberry plantations, and resort construction, along with other rural development infrastructure investments, are bringing rural environments to the center of Uzbekistan’s tourism economy and are attracting visitors from throughout the country. Increasing numbers of national arrivals, more tourism service exports and the increasing availability of places to stay are putting the rural areas at the center of the tourism economy. Visitors now have more opportunities to visit and enjoy the farms and the outdoors. The big challenges facing future development are related to the quality and availability of tourism services, community participation in tourism, and water.

Official Sources

1. President of the Republic of Uzbekistan — Fergana regional development priorities, 28 April 2026
   Official presidential announcement
2. Tourism Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan — Fergana tourist and recreational zone
   Official Fergana tourism-zone announcement
3. National Statistics Committee of Uzbekistan — January–July 2026 international tourism arrivals
   Official Uzbekistan tourism statistics

Additional Institutional Sources: World Bank, International Labour Organization.