Bamyan has workforce, but no factory

BAMYAN CITY (Pajhwok): There is no dearth of workforce in central Bamyan province, but so far no factory has been established to utilise the potential, a trader said on Monday.

Bamyan Chamber of Commerce and Industries (ACCI) head Ali Raza Hassanzada said lack of government support for the private sector had resulted in weak entrepreneurship.

He listed the absence of basic infrastructure development facilities such as roads, electricity and industrial parks as major hurdles to the establishment of industrial units in the province.

He told Pajhwok Afghan News factories could be run with cheap labour costs alone; the government had been reluctant to invest in the vital sector that could help strengthen the economy.

He explained the Bamyan government had allotted a land for establishing an industrial park, but the plot’s location in a desert, 20 km from the provincial capital, was not appropriate.

“The industrial park should be in a place where investors can access clean drinking water, roads and other facilities,” he argued.

A number of traders said there were no facilities encouraging investment in Bamyan.

Murtaza, a potato trader, said the government should provide investors with land and electricity for their businesses. “If the government gives me a piece of land on lease, I can store tens of thousands of tonnes of potatoes for a year.”

Bamyan potatoes are popular across Afghanistan officials say half of the country’s potatoes are produced in the central province.

Last year, 250,000 tonnes of potatoes were harvested in Bamyan compared to 270,000 tonnes this year.

The ACCI official said: “In fact the government has no policy to support the private sector, thus factories are collapsing one after another.”

Three potato chips factories established in Bamyan with support from a number of NGOs had been shut, rendering many men and women jobless.

Mohammad Qasim, whose now closed factory was established with UN support, said due to the absence of electricity and professional workers, he had to wind up the factory.

Jafar, a daily wager, who supports his family of seven members, said he often returned home without finding any work.

“If factories are established, it would not only create jobs, but also develop the country and increase the government’s revenue.”

ra/ma

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