Namangan region
Namangan region lies in the northern part of the Fergana region. Its eastern part is ringed by high mountain ranges and has a relatively mild climate; in the west, precipitation and rivers are scarce. The natural growth of the population is high, so the working-age population increases fast. Irrigated farming dominates the economy: irrigation structures such as the Northern Fergana, Chust and Chartak canals have enlarged irrigated land and improved melioration. Cotton and grain take most of the sown area; vegetables, fruit, grapes and silk farming also exist. Sheep and goats are grazed in large numbers on the pastures of Pop and Chust districts, and when pastures are short, animals are driven to mountain pastures in summer. Industry consists mainly of light and food branches and machine building, much of it concentrated in the Namangan industrial node. In 2018 the Namangan free economic zone was set up in Chust district. The city of Namangan lies on the Namangansoy and is the region’s administrative, economic and cultural centre: it has textile, electrical, cotton-ginning, oil-extraction and canning enterprises and universities, and is also called the city of flowers. Chust is known for knife-making and crafts, Pop for technical rubber and footwear, and Uchkurgan for the hydro plant on the Naryn and for cotton-ginning plants.
Chust knives are a craft product: you may look at them, but never handle or try to make a sharp knife on your own; only when adults and a master show it.