To date, the cotton producing republics within the former USSR remain among the top five producers and exporters of cotton in the world. Although it is still too early to predict whether economic reforms will result in a more efficiently run cotton sector, it does appear that economic considerations are the primary force behind the current decisions being made. Consequently, large production is necessary in order to satisfy both domestic and international demand for cotton from these republics. Moreover, the cotton-producing republics would like to export value-added textile and textile products in order to obtain lucrative foreign exchange earnings.