Last year, Tajikistan took first place among the Central Asian countries in terms of the pace of development of light industry.
In 2023, the growth rate in Tajikistan light industry was 18.9 percent. For comparison, the growth rate in Kyrgyzstan’s light industry last year was 18.8 percent, Uzbekistan – 17.4 percent, and in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan – 8.0 percent each.
According to data from the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies (MoINT), the 18.9-percent growth rate in light industry was reached 2.9-fold increase in production of textiles, 1.7-fold increase in production of cotton fabric, production of hosiery – by 14.8 percent, and garment production — by 14.1 percent.
The share of light industry in a total volume of industrial goods produced in 2023 was 11.8 percent and it was in the 4th place following mining, food industry and energy sector.
The basis of Tajikistan’s light industry is the textile industry – more than 80 percent. It is followed by sewing and shoe production, and other areas have a tiny share.
Last year, Tajikistan produced more than 127,000 tons of cotton fiber. According to the forecast of main macroeconomic indicators, Tajikistan is planned to produce 138,000 tons of cotton fiber and 57,500 tons of cotton yarn.
The government considers the sewing and textile production sector of light industry as a priority industry for the future development of the country.
