TEHRAN -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on Saturday that the administration will invest over $5 billion in production units.

Increasing national production requires some resources, which should be provided, Ahmadinejad said at the Mining and Industry Conference in Tehran.
There are some obstacles hindering efforts to increase national production but the administration is trying to remove these impediments, he added.
The president also suggested that merging the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance with the Ministry of Industries and Mines would be a good way to boost production.
“We can create a more focused and purposeful management (system) for production and promote the advancement of the nation by combining these two ministries,” he said.
Ahmadinejad noted that despite the sanctions imposed on the nation, Iran has had acceptable economic growth over the past five years.
“They tried to defeat us by imposing political and economic sanctions, especially on our banks. However, without a doubt, they could not defeat us because of your great endeavor.”
He also stated that the new imperialism aims to make other countries dependent, adding, “The enemies are trying to monopolize technology for themselves so that other countries become dependent on them. However, I hereby announce that our enemies have failed in both the economic and the political arenas.”
Industries and Mines Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian, who also spoke at the Conference on Sunday, criticized the uncontrolled import of foreign products and said the issue should be taken into consideration in the economic reform plan