85pc factories in Balkh cease operations

MAZAR-I-SHARIF (Pajhwok): A number of factory owners in Mazar-i-Sharif, capital of northern Balkh province, say that they are ready to increase their productions if the new administration provides them with required facilities.

The industrialists say that many factories have ceased their activities due to lack of raw materials and limited bank services.

Meanwhile, Balkh Industries and Mines Department officials also confirmed that 85 percent of factories had stopped their activities in the province.

BismillahHamdard, an industrialist who owns a flour processing factory in Mazar-i-Sharif Industrial Park, says his plant’s activities seriously affected since the last two months.

He said that there are a total of 49 factories in Mazar-i-Sharif city and currently probably only five of them were functioning.

He said that most of the factories topped their activities due to lack of raw materials. Hamdard said that his factory was partially active due to absence of wheat.

“Unfortunately there is an unhealthy competition between traders and factory owners. We have repeatedly asked traders to import wheat instead of flour from abroad so we will have raw materials and present flour at economic prices to the market, but they do not do so,” he added.

He asked the Islamic Emirate to take action for resolving problems of the industrialists.

Hamdard said that activation of all factories in Mazar-i-Sharif would help recruit 2,000 people directly and thousands others indirectly.

NajmuddinSeddiqi, another industrialist in Mazar-i-Sharif city, said that industrialists were mostly affected due to restrictions on banks.

“Currently we don’t have the ability to buy or sell because our money is locked in banks and we need cash for running our business,” he added.

If the problems of banks are not resolved in a short time, the remaining factories would also stop their activities, he said, adding that activation of factories would help recruit people and reduce the rate of criminal acts.

Mohammad YasinAkbari, head of Balkh Industries and Mines Department, acknowledged that 85 percent of factories have ceased their operations in the province.

He said that there was currently no security problem for factories and industrialists could safely continue their activities.

However, he said that some short-term problems for businesses surged with new political changes in the country.

Akbari asked government officials to resolve the problems with banks so business people could regain access to their assets.

Facilitating import of raw materials should be prioritized more than anything, he said.

MulaviYar Mohammad Shabir, Balkh Commerce and Industries Department head who visited Mazar-i-Sharif Industrial Park, assured the problems would be solved soon.

He said that he noted problems of industrialists and would share them with the central government for finding solutions to them.

Besides Mazar-i-Sharif, factories in Kabul, Kandahar and Nangarhar provinces also face problems and many of them have stopped operating.

Mds/ma