Uzbekistan, the world’s second biggest cotton exporter, expects to produce about 1 million tonnes of cotton fibre this year, down from 1.17 million tonnes in 2006, the government said on Monday.

Foreign investment and trade minister Eler Ganiyev told a cotton conference the Central Asian state planned to export 70 percent of the cotton fibre.

In February, the government forecast the raw cotton harvest to be no less than 3.6 million tonnes in 2007, compared to 3.63 million tonnes in 2006. The harvest is due to be completed at the end of September.