26 new industrial parks on the cards, says MoCI

KABUL (Pajhwok): The Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MoCI) says 26 new industrial parks will be built and 44 sectors of the economy have become self-sufficient in Afghanistan.

MoCI spokesman Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad said in a video clip on X 44 sectors had attained autarky in production of 134 items.

He said Afghanistan had become self-reliant in production of furniture, chalk, skeleton cars, threshers, rickshaws, coal, chicken seed, plastic shoes, cartons, saffron, salt, spaghettis and macaroni, gas balloons, PVC profile, ice, tissue paper and kitchen rolls, toilet paper, beans and chicken meat.​

Jawad added the country had also achieved self-reliance in producing dried fruit, plastic bags, construction and decorative stone, talc stone processing, electrical equipment, iron melting, soap, detergents, confectionary, carpets and rugs, printing, marble, soft drinks, chips, French fries and other things.

According to the MoCI spokesman, 29 sectors had gained partial autarky in making 104 items while 16 sectors are producing 336 other articles.

At least 16 industrial parks had been activated in Kabul, Parwan, Herat, Balkh, Nangarhar, Kandahar and Farah provinces, he explained.

In these industrial areas, different factories are making calkin, PVC doors, skeleton cars, packages, plastic items, disposable dishes, soft drinks, carpets, rugs, etc.

Jawad said 26 industrial parks would be set up in Panjsher, Ghazni Helmand, Balkh, Herat, Faryab, Farah, Daikundi, Baghlan, Jawzjan, Kandahar, Kabul, Kapisa, Khost, Kunduz, Sar-i-Pul and Badakhshan provinces.

About timescales for the projects, he said: “We are trying to build the industrial parks in one and a half to two years.”

hz/mud