TEHRAN - The head of Iran Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organization (ISIPO) has said over 60 percent of the idle industrial units across the country have the potential to be revived and resume operation, IRNA reported.

“Currently, some production units are struggling with banking, legal, or tax problems, and we want to identify such units to solve their problems so that they remain active and provide employment,” Ali Rasoulian told the national TV on Tuesday.

“If idle units return to the production cycle, the employment and business process of the production units will flourish,” he added.

Back in September, Rasoulian had announced that 499 idle industrial units were revived in the country during the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-August 22).

According to the official, the mentioned units created job opportunities for over 12,478 people.

Rasoulian said that reviving 1,600 idle and semi-active industrial units in the industrial parks and zones, as well as 400 units outside of such parks, is targeted for the current fiscal year (ends on March 20, 2022).

The official mentioned Industry, Mining, and Trade Ministry’s programs for developing the country’s productive sectors in the current year and said: “Industry Ministry has defined 36 new programs for improving the productivity of the country’s major strategic industries in the current year among which ISIPO is in charge of two programs.

The mentioned programs include providing infrastructure for industrial parks and zones and reviving idle and semi-active industrial units, he explained.

Last year, 1,557 stagnant and semi-active units returned to the production cycle in the industrial parks with the financing of 35 trillion rials (over $117.8 million), providing employment for 27,000 people, the ISIPO head further said.

With the aim of reactivating stagnant units or units that are operating below capacity, 900 consultants from the private sector and knowledge-based companies were selected in the form of industry clinics across the country to recognize the weaknesses of these units, Rasoulian has previously stated.

“Despite the two major challenges of sanctions and coronavirus pandemic, which imposed severe restrictions on the country, we tried to activate domestic capacities by turning to localize the technology of manufacturing parts and equipment”, he added.

EF/MA