Kabul factories production down by 75pc

KABUL (Pajhwok): Industrial factories production has declined by 75 percent as a result of load shading in capital Kabul, an official said on Tuesday.

Zarif Gul Zadran, deputy head of Commerce and Industries, told Pajhwok Afghan News that factory owners had been badly affected by the electricity outage.

He said factories received only 10 hours electricity in 48 hours due to which they were unable to make large scale production.

He added currently factories have 25pc production in which only five percent production was made with state energy and the remaining from generators and other sources.

Zadran said around 1,000 factories were active in capital Kabul in which nearly 70,000 people are working but recently 50percent of the workforce had been reduced  due to energy shortage.

He critisised that government offices in Kabul received round the clock electricity but factories have no electricity.

Abdul Naseer Reshtia, Steel Milles Union Head, told Pajhwok Afghan News steel mills also reduced their production due to electricity outage.

“We get 10 hour electricity after one day and it is not enough for us. In four hours our machinery gets warm and in the remaining six hour we get nothing.”

He said that steel miles earned its place and market in around 18 months but it was losing it gradually due to electricity outage.

He said if electricity issue is not resolved most factories will stop functioning.

Hikmatullah Maiwanid, spokesperson for the Da Afghanistan Breshna Shirkat, said efforts were on to resolve electricity shortage issue in the country.

He said talks with Turkmenistan underway and in the coming year electricity contract will be renewed.

He did not say how much electricity would Turkmenistan provide to Afghanistan.

He said currently, Turkmenistan did not provide electricity it promised in the contract and reduced it by 50 percent.

Afghanistan received 440MW electricity from Tajikistan, 202MW from Turkmenistan and 102MW from Iran for its energy needs. 150MW electricity is generated at home.

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