American Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences ISSN (E): 2832-8019 Volume 36, | May - 2025 P a g e | 46 www.americanjournal.org REGIONAL SPECIALIZATION TRENDS OF LIGHT INDUSTRY IN NAVOI REGION IN THE YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE Kholikulov Shukhratjon Boymakhammadovich Independent Researcher at Bukhara State University A B S T R A C T K E Y W O R D S This article analyzes the regional specialization trends of light industry in Navoi region in the period after Uzbekistan gained independence. The article briefly covers the history of the formation of the region and administrative-territorial changes, and determines the role of light industry in the regional economy. The main attention is paid to the specialization trends formed on the basis of the principles of territorial location of enterprises of various branches of light industry (textiles, knitwear, sewing, leather and footwear), proximity to sources of raw materials, the influence of consumer markets and the distribution of labor resources. The article also analyzes the production stages and industry characteristics of light industry enterprises. Navoi region, light industry, regional specialization, textile industry, leather and footwear industry, location factors, consumer markets, labor resources. Introduction Navoi region is located in the central part of the Republic of Uzbekistan. Previously, it was part of the Och Dasht region, which was part of the RSFSR. Since 1920, part of the current Navoi region has been part of the Kazakh SSR, and in 1956, part of the future region, which was part of the Kazakh SSR at that time, was transferred to the Uzbek SSR with a view to developing cotton growing. By Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR No. 2247-X dated April 20, 1982, Navoi region was formed from part of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, Bukhara and Samarkand regions, with the city of Navoi as its administrative center. From the Bukhara region, it included Konimekh, Kyzyltepa, Navbahor, Navoi, Tomdi and Uchkuduk districts, the cities of Navoi, Zarafshan, Uchkuduk; From Samarkand region - Nurota and Khatirchi districts were transferred. According to the Resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR of September 9, 1988, Navoi region was abolished as an administrative unit, and its territories were annexed to the territory of Samarkand region. This was done due to the policy pursued by some short-sighted leaders in the last years of the Soviet regime with the intention of making the former Center look good. The Resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR of May 16, 1989 "On the transfer of part of the territories of Samarkand region" was adopted. In order to ensure the implementation of this Resolution, the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of Uzbekistan of May 19, 1989 No. 148-r "On the transfer of part of the territories of Samarkand regions to Bukhara region" was adopted. In this regard, the cities of Navoi, Zarafshan, Uchkuduk, Navoi, Navbahor, Kyzyltepa, Tomdi, Uchkuduk, Konimekh districts were included in the Bukhara region. American Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences Volume 36 May - 2025 P a g e | 47 www.americanjournal.org After the Republic of Uzbekistan gained its independence, the Navoi region was restored by the will of the Navoi people. Speaking at a meeting with activists of the Navoi region, the First President of the Republic of Uzbekistan I.A. Karimov noted that, taking into account the demands of the population of the region and the prospects for economic and social development in the region, the Supreme Council of the Republic of Uzbekistan adopted the Resolution of the Presidium of the Supreme Council on the restoration of the Navoi region within the former borders, the administrative center of which was the city of Navoi, which was part of the Republic of Uzbekistan. On January 27, 1992, based on the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR "On the Organization of Navoi Region within the Republic of Uzbekistan", Navoi Region was established within the 1982 borders. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION The territory of Navoi region is divided into 3 parts according to its natural conditions: the northwestern part of the region is occupied by the Kyzylkum desert - here there are barren swamps (Karakota, Molali, Mingbulok), sandy plains and relict mountains (Ovminzatog, Yetimtog, Bokantov, Tomditov, etc.); the southeastern part is occupied by the western part of the Nurota mountain ranges, low and medium- altitude mountains (Qaratog, Oktog, etc.) and intermountain swamps (Nurota swamp, etc.); the cotton- growing zone of the region is located in the central part of the Zarafshan River oasis. The mountains of Navoi region are mainly composed of rocks of the Silurian, Devonian, Carboniferous, Burian, Paleogene, Neogene periods. The plains and sand dunes have changed under the influence of complex natural factors in the Quaternary geological period. Gold was found in Muruntov, graphite in the north of Ovminzatog. The region has reserves of tungsten, phosphorites, quartz sand, cement, and limestone. Mineral healing, saline, and deep underground water reserves have been discovered in Navoi region. For example, waters found in the vicinity of Chunonchi, Tomdibulok, Qaraqota, and Chingildi are widely used in agriculture[1]. Light industry is a specialized industrial sector that produces basic consumer goods from various raw materials. Light industry unites a number of sectors that provide the population with textiles, clothing, footwear, and haberdashery. In the process of industrial development in the country, the share of these products is increasing. This sector supplies a significant part of consumer goods produced in the country. Light industry enterprises are usually divided into the following groups: • the first - enterprises producing cheap consumer goods, requiring low-skilled labor for production. • the second - enterprises producing products that require high qualifications of workers and special equipment, and a more expensive market segment. Characteristics of light industry: - industrial products affect the standard of living of people; - labor-intensive, sectoral (this sector is mainly served by women, 75% of the workforce in the industry is women); - the size of enterprises is relatively small and does not require a large amount of energy and water[2]. Light industry produces a wide range of consumer goods and consists of the following sectors: yarn, jute, wool, knitwear, leather, footwear, fur, etc. Raw materials for light industry are mainly supplied by agriculture (cotton, flax, wool, hides (leather, fur), Currently, chemical industry products are also considered raw materials for light industry (7 enterprises and organizations engaged in the production of non-woven products, except for clothing, are located in Karmana, Khatirchi districts and the city of Navoi; 2 enterprises engaged in the American Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences Volume 36 May - 2025 P a g e | 48 www.americanjournal.org production of other technical and industrial textile products are located in the Kyzyltepa district and the city of Navoi; 25 enterprises and organizations engaged in the production of textile products not included in other categories are located in Karmana, Navbahor, Khatirchi, Uchkuduk, Nurota, Kyzyltepa districts and the city of Zarafshan (end of 2023)[3]; The textile industry is made up of yarn-weaving, woolen weaving, silk and linen weaving. The weaving process consists of several stages: — the stage of preliminary processing of raw materials, cotton cleaning, processing of flax fiber, washing wool (15 enterprises and organizations engaged in the preparation and spinning of cotton fibers are located in Navbahor, Khatirchi, Karmana, Kyzyltepa districts and the cities of Navoi and Zarafshan; 11 enterprises and organizations engaged in the preparation and spinning of wool fibers are located in Kyzyltepa, Tomdi, Nurota, Navbahor, Karmana districts and the cities of Navoi and Zarafshan (end of 2023); — spinning stage (8 enterprises and organizations engaged in the preparation and spinning of fibers other than wool and cotton are located in Kyzyltepa, Khatirchi, Karmana districts. (end of 2023); — weaving stage (4 enterprises and organizations engaged in the production of yarn and fabrics are located in Karmana district and the city of Zarafshan; 4 enterprises and organizations engaged in the production of woolen fabrics are located in Kyzyltepa, Khatirchi, Uchkuduk, Konimeh districts; 2 enterprises engaged in the production of silk fabrics are located in the city of Navoi and Nurota district; 2 enterprises engaged in the production of yarn and other woolen fabrics are located in Tomdi and Uchkuduk districts. (end of 2023); — finishing stage (4 enterprises and organizations engaged in the decoration of textile products are located in Tomdi, Nurota, Khatirchi districts and the city of Navoi. (end of 2023)[3]; All these stages can be carried out in separate spinning, weaving or finishing factories, but transportation costs (loading and unloading goods from each factory) increase the cost of the product. Therefore, it is more profitable to concentrate textile production in one enterprise - a combine. The enterprises for the initial processing of raw materials are located close to the sources of raw materials. More women work in textile enterprises, so this industry is located in densely populated cities and regions with developed heavy industry (1 enterprise engaged in the production of carpets and carpet products is located in Uchkuduk district (end of 2023)[3]. When locating enterprises of the knitting and sewing industry, the regions where their products are used are taken into account. Because transporting the yarns needed for this industry is more convenient and cheaper than transporting finished products (2 enterprises engaged in the production of woven and knitted fabrics are located in Khatirchi, Kyzyltepa districts; 29 enterprises and organizations engaged in the production of finished textile products, except for clothing, are located in Kyzyltepa, Khatirchi, Karmana, Tomdi, Navbahor, Uchkuduk, Nurota districts and the cities of Navoi and Zarafshan (end of 2023)[3]. Therefore, when locating enterprises of the textile industry, consumers, labor resources and sources of raw materials are taken into account (1 The enterprise, which is engaged in the production of ropes, cables, ropes, ties and netting, is located in Navoi (end of 2023)[3]. One of the most important sectors of light industry is the leather and footwear industry. Natural leather (leather) is the raw material for this industry. In addition, artificial leather, rubber, canvas (a thick fabric woven from hemp), and wool (for clothing) are also used as raw materials. Depending on the specialization of livestock farming in different regions, the raw materials of this industry are diverse. American Journal of Research in Humanities and Social Sciences Volume 36 May - 2025 P a g e | 49 www.americanjournal.org The source of raw materials plays an important role in the location of the leather industry. However, skins, which are a waste product of meat processing plants, also affect the location of this industry. The footwear industry is established in areas close to the consumer. The footwear industry is located mainly depending on its use, and partly on raw material resources. Leather and footwear production have long been territorially interconnected. These industries originated in the central parts of our country. The footwear industry uses not only natural materials as raw materials, but also textile materials in combination with artificial leather. As a result, the raw material base of the industry has expanded significantly. At the same time, the concentration of footwear enterprises in the regions of use has increased. CONCLUSION In conclusion, Navoi region, during the years of independence, based on its historical and geographical features and available resources, formed certain regional specialization trends in light industry. The region's wealth in agricultural raw materials, especially cotton and wool cultivation, created the basis for the development of the textile industry and influenced the location of these enterprises in areas close to the sources of raw materials. At the same time, densely populated areas and large cities served as centers for consumption-oriented industries such as knitting and sewing. The leather and footwear industry developed taking into account factors such as proximity to sources of raw materials and sources of waste such as meat processing plants, as well as consumer markets. The location of light industry enterprises is determined not only by the availability of raw materials and consumer markets, but also by the availability of labor resources and the development of transport infrastructure. REFERENCES: 1. Oʻzbekiston milliy ensiklopediyasi. Т.: «Oʻzbekiston milliy ensiklopediyasi» Davlat ilmiy nashriyoti, 2003. – B. 13. 2. Sanoat geografiyasi: darslik / Egamberdiyeva U.T., -Toshkent: «Donishmand ziyosi», 2020. – B. 149. 3. Navoiy viloyati statistika boshqarmasi maʼlumotlari. https://www.navstat.uz 4. R.Maqsudov, Q.Rajabov. Qiziltepa tarixi. (Uchinchi eng muhim qisqa maʼlumotlar). –T.: «Fan va texnologiya», 2016, 96 b. 5. R.Maqsudov, Q.Rajabov. Qiziltepa tumani kecha va bugun. – T.: Sahhof, 2021. – 117 b. 6. Xolmurodov R. 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