Usmonxojayev succeeded Sharof Rashidov, who had been General Secretary since the 1950s. As orders from Moscow to grow more and more cotton spiraled in, the Uzbek government had respond by reporting miraculous growth in land irrigated and harvested, and record improvements in production and efficiency.
Usmonxojayev replaced Sharof Rashidov as General Secretary after a long tenure. In response to Moscow's growing demands for increased cotton production, the Uzbek government reported impressive gains in irrigated land and harvested crops, as well as notable improvements in efficiency.