TEHRAN – Iranian Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Abbas Ali-Abadi inaugurated 20 industrial, infrastructure, and development projects valued at 294.8 trillion rials (over $60 million) in industrial parks and zones across the country through video conferencing on Monday.

The inauguration ceremony was also attended by the acting head of Iran Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organization (ISIPO) Farshad Moghimi, IRNA reported.

Put into operation in 11 different provinces, the mentioned projects were inaugurated on the occasion of the national day of supporting Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).

The projects include nine infrastructure projects with a total investment of 1.88 trillion rials (about $3.82 million), seven industrial projects with an investment of 18.35 trillion rials (over $37.8 million), and the revival of four idle industrial units with an investment of 9.24 trillion rials (over $18.9 million).

As reported, the inauguration of the mentioned projects has created direct job opportunities for 723 people.

The projects were carried out in the provinces of Kermanshah, Markazi, Zanjan, Yazd, Alborz, Lorestan, Sistan-Baluchestan, Golestan, Isfahan, Qazvin, and East Azarbaijan.

Over the past few years, the Iranian Ministry of Industry, Mining, and Trade has been implementing new programs to support productive units across the country, especially in industrial parks and zones.

Providing infrastructure and incentives to small and medium-sized enterprises are among the major programs that the ministry has been following in relation to industrial parks because SMEs account for nearly 50 percent of Iran's total industrial sector and more than 20 percent of the country’s non-oil exports are done by such units.

In this regard, the government is seriously pursuing its programs to resolve production units' problems in collaboration with the ISIPO.

EF/MA