TEHRAN- Iranian minister of industry, mining, and trade announced the inauguration of 420 industrial projects during the Ten-Day Dawn (January 31- February 10), which marks the 45th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, and said that the creation of 34,000 jobs is one of the features of these projects.

According to Tasnim News Agency, quoting the Ministry of Industry, Mining, and Trade, the council of the ministry’s deputies held a meeting on Saturday with the presence of Mohammad Reza Aref, the First Vice President, to discuss issues in the industry, mining, and trade sectors.

In this meeting, Seyed Mohammad Atabak, the minister of industry, mining and trade, presented a report on the performance of the deputies and highlighted energy imbalance as a major issue facing production. He stated that despite the energy imbalance problem, efforts by producers and industry and mining activists have prevented product shortages in the market as much as possible.

He also reported on the restrictions in gas delivery to steel units, adding that at certain times, the quotas for units have been reduced, affecting the production record in the steel industry.

The minister further attributed the decline in the growth of mining industries to the impact of energy imbalance on industries and emphasized that production has increased in copper cathodes and alumina, while steel, cement, and coal concentrate have shown a decreasing trend.

He described the 11-percent growth in trade compared to the same period last year as encouraging and added that the export value in the mining industries is $9.8 billion, petrochemicals $22 billion, and the total non-oil exports amount to $43.1 billion, showing an 11-percent growth.

He mentioned that maritime development is one of the slogans of the fourteenth government and noted that the creation and development of specialized industrial parks and zones along coastal waters have begun, and geophysical surveys of surrounding areas are also planned. In this regard, 925 inactive units have been reactivated.

MA