KABUL (Pajhwok): A government-owned ghee-producing plant has resumed operations after three decades of closure in northern Balkh province.
The plant produces eight tonnes of ghee from cottonseed in 24 hours, but officials say they are striving to enhance this capacity to 150 tonnes with the use of vegetable resources.
Abdul Hadi Arghandiwal, the acting minister of finance, told an official ceremony in Mazar-i-Sharif the government was trying to revive similar industrial units in other provinces.
Arghandiwal asked the private sector to invest in infrastructure development projects. He commended Uzbekistan for cooperating on the reactivation of the cooking oil-producing plant.
Uzbekistan Ambassador Shadmanov Yadgarkhoja emphasized on bilateral cooperation, hoping people in the northern zone would be supplied quality ghee with the reactivation of the plant.
“The government of Uzbekistan is committed to expanding cooperation with Afghanistan in different sectors, especially in field of producing food items,” he remarked.
Deputy Minister of Agriculture Hashmatullah Ghafo0ri said they planned to reduce ghee imports by 50 percent by activating similar plants in different provinces of the country.
Governor Ishaq Rahguzar called the revival of the cooking oil mill a crucial step towards strengthening Afghanistan’s economy.
He hoped the revival of the mill would help cut the import of poor-quality ghee from other countries.
Rahguzar urged people to use domestically produced items to the maximum possible extent and contribute thereby to beefing up the national economy.
sa/mud
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