By Dilbar Primova
Published on
02/09/2025 – 15:00 GMT+2
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Uzbekistan’s Minister of Agriculture, Ibrokhim Abdurakhmonov, has transformed global farming with genetic science.
After early cotton research in the US, he pioneered the world’s first gene-knockout cotton, lengthening fibre and boosting yields without crossbreeding. Today, “Porloq” varieties cover 100,000 hectares, while new work extends to salt-tolerant wheat.
With the Center of Genomics and Bioinformatics in Tashkent, he also developed cotton oil safe for human use and sequenced COVID-19 genomes during the pandemic. Recognised by UNESCO in 2023, he says: “Whether it’s drought or disease, we can now act fast to find solutions.”