Uzbekistan looks to soften image of notorious cotton sector Uzbekistan - an ex-Soviet nation of 33 million in Central Asia - is the world's sixth largest producer of cotton. Since the Soviet period, centralised and later national production targets have led to forced labour and taken a heavy environmental toll. Uzbekistan's current president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has denounced the use of forced labour and promised to eradicate state quotas by 2023. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES