Uzbek President Islam Karimov said on Thursday he had appointed a new prime minister who would pay closer attention to agriculture following the country\'s lowest ever cotton harvest, its main export. Karimov told parliament in the Central Asian state that he had appointed Shavkat Mirziyavev, 46, prime minister to replace Uktir Sultanov, who would be demoted to deputy prime minister in charge of industry after eight years in the job. \"We must recognise that (Sultanov\'s) style of leadership shows a tendency towards industry,\" Karimov told parliament. \"Maybe in order to foresee and resolve problems in agriculture Sultanov did not have enough experience.\" Uzbekistan, the world\'s second largest cotton exporter, saw its cotton harvest fall 11 percent to 2.86 million tonnes this year – far below the four million tonnes it regularly produced for the Soviet Union between 1960 and independence in 1991. The country has barely reformed its economy since the collapse of the Soviet Union and Karimov has become one of the most autocratic rulers in the region. (ÊÐÆ)