TEHRAN - Deputy Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Mehdi Sadeqi Niaraki said his ministry has defined 36 new programs for improving the productivity of the country’s major strategic industries in the current Iranian calendar year (ends in March 2022).

Niaraki said the Industry Ministry’s programs for supporting the productive sector focus on three major axes including the facilitation of supplying raw materials required by industries including equipment, machinery, components, and parts as well as planning to provide the working capital needed by the production units.

He described the development of a roadmap for strategic industries as another major ax of the Industry Ministry planning and said: "36 programs have been defined in the industry, mining, and trade sectors for supporting strategic industries such as automotive, home appliances, textiles, and clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and medical equipment."

“Last year, three operational programs for the home appliance, food, and precious metals industries were put on the agenda, and these programs have been implemented this year with the participation of organizations and pioneering industries,” he said.

In addition to the above-mentioned three programs, a support package has also been prepared and finalized for the development of the automobile and auto parts industries and will be sent to the industry minister for approval, Niaraki added.

The official went on to say that there are currently 85,000 production units across the country of which 13,000 are inactive, underlining that assessment of the conditions of the mentioned units is also among the most important programs of the Industry Ministry.

According to Niaraki, in a short period of time, the status of the inactive units in each province will be reviewed with the priority of investment, employment, and production capacity, and then reasons for the closure of these units will be determined and solutions will be provided to revive them.

Referring to the ministry’s planning for reviving 2,000 idle industrial units in the current year, the official said: “In addition to the assessment and evaluation of the said 13,000 units, Iran Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organization also has it on the agenda to revive 2,000 industrial units across the country.”

EF/MA