Review.uz has published a review of the textile and garment industry of Uzbekistan and Central Asia covering the first half of 2026, offering sourcing professionals a consolidated read on one of the fastest-growing cotton-to-garment supply bases on the Silk Road corridor.

The outlet's review consolidates production, export and investment developments across Uzbekistan and its Central Asian neighbours for the January–June 2026 period. For buyers weighing alternatives to China, Bangladesh and Turkey, Uzbekistan has become a recurring name in sourcing conversations, driven by state-led verticalization of the cotton value chain and preferential access to the EU market under the GSP+ scheme.

The review's scope covers the full regional chain: raw fibre, spinning, weaving, knitting and finished garments. Uzbekistan's strategy since 2017 has been to move up the value chain, converting a fibre-export economy into a fabric and apparel exporter with clusters in Tashkent, Namangan, Andijan and Fergana. How much of that policy ambition shows up in hard H1 2026 numbers — export volumes, investment inflows, new factory capacity — is exactly the kind of question the review addresses for the trade audience.

For sourcing and compliance teams, three data points from this regional file matter most when the full review is consulted. First, export performance: whether Uzbek textile and garment shipments to the EU, Russia, the CIS and China grew, held or contracted in the six-month window, and at what unit values. Second, capacity and certification: how many new spinning and sewing lines came online, and whether ILO-aligned labour standards — central to Uzbekistan's rehabilitation with Western buyers after the end of state-orchestrated forced labour in the cotton harvest — continue to hold. Third, channel direction: whether the industry's push toward joint ventures with Turkish, Chinese and Korean partners translated into signed contracts rather than announcements.

Review.uz, an Uzbek business publication, has tracked the sector through successive government modernization programmes, privatization rounds and currency adjustments. Its half-year reviews typically draw on state statistics agency data, industry association figures and company disclosures, giving buyers a single reference point for a market where official and private data streams often diverge.

The Central Asian dimension widens the picture. Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan garment producers, concentrated in sewing and CMT operations, compete and cooperate with Uzbek fabric suppliers, while Tajikistan and Turkmenistan remain fibre-heavy players with limited downstream conversion. Regional trade patterns — including re-exports through Kyrgyzstan's Dordoy market ecosystem toward Eurasian Economic Union customers — form part of the competitive backdrop the review maps.

Buyers evaluating the region should treat the review's figures with the usual discipline applied to state-adjacent data: distinguish measured export results from investment intentions, separate shipments to Russia and the CIS — where sanctions-adjacent demand distorts volumes — from GSP+ qualifying exports to the EU, and check factory-level certifications independently.

The H1 2026 review signals that Uzbekistan and Central Asia remain firmly on the sourcing map, and the second half of the year will show whether the region's capacity additions and compliance record can convert buyer interest into committed order books.