TEHRAN- As announced by a provincial official, 73 idle industrial units have been revived in Alborz province during the current Iranian calendar year (ends on March 20).

Hamidreza Oqabneshin, the managing director of the province’s Industrial Parks Company, also said that the mentioned units returning to the production cycle created jobs for 1,017 persons.

One of the most important programs of Alborz Province’s Industrial Parks Company is the revival of stagnant and inactive units, which tries to revive these stagnant units and return them to the production cycle by using the existing capacities, he further stressed.

By forming a working group and using the capacity of executive bodies, an effort is made to identify the problems of production units and then provide appropriate solutions to solve their problems, the official added.

The scope of activities of the revived units included food industry, animal and poultry feed, metal, textile, chemical, packaging, detergent, medical equipment, dairy and household appliances, Oqabneshin said and announced that 5.01 trillion rials (about $20 million) has been invested to revive these units.

As announced last week by the head of Iran Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organization (ISIPO), over 1,900 idle industrial units have been revived in the industrial parks and zones of the country in the current Iranian calendar year.

Ali Rasoulian also said the number of idle units is decreasing.

Referring to the high demand for investment in industrial parks and zones he said: "Given that the demand for investment in this filed is high, we seek to provide infrastructure such as water, electricity and gas for the companies so that the capabilities of these areas to attract investors will be developed.”

Of course, the important point is that the applicants must also complete the construction, install the machinery, obtain the operation and production licenses within the framework of the obligations and within the legal period specified in the land use right contract, he added.

The official had previously said that the number of idle industrial units is hoped to reach 2,000 units by the end of the present year.

The ISIPO head had also announced that 1,557 stagnant and semi-active units returned to the production cycle in the industrial parks with a financing of 35 trillion rials (nearly $140 million), providing employment for 27,000 people, in the last Iranian calendar year.

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 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 localizing the technology of manufacturing parts and equipment”, he added.

Sanctions have caused problems for financial exchanges and the export of goods to other countries, he said, adding, “The negative effects of coronavirus pandemic on various parts of the country, including industry, are not hidden from anyone, and the economic growth of some countries has reached below zero during this period.”

Iran is proud that despite these restrictions and pressure from these two important challenges, its industry has grown by more than seven percent, according to the statistics and reports from various sectors, the official further highlighted.

Also, as announced by Deputy Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Mehdi Sadeqi Niaraki, over 6,500 new industrial units were established across the country during the past year which created jobs for over 121,000 people.

Touching upon the Industry Ministry’s plans for the realization of the motto of the current year which is named the year of “Production: support and the elimination of obstacles” by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, the official has said: “In the year that has been dedicated to the production sector by the Leader of the revolution, the orientation of all government organizations and executive bodies should be towards supporting the country’s industrial and mining units.”

Niaraki pointed to a 40-percent increase in the issuance of establishment licenses for industrial units in the previous year, saying: “The number of establishment licenses increased to more than 36,000 last year, which shows that people are encouraged to invest in the productive sectors.”

He also mentioned an 85-percent rise in the allocation of land for establishing industrial units across the country and noted that over 4,500 hectares of land were handed over to applicants in the previous calendar year.

MA/MA