Industry unveils plan to restart stalled plants

Industry unveils plan to restart stalled plants


Saturday 01 February 2020 - 11:33


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Industry unveils plan to restart stalled plants
Baghdad - Waaa - Nassar al-Hajj

The Ministry of Industry revealed on Saturday the number of factories and government companies suspended, while confirming the existence of a plan for the ministry to return the suspended ones to work by presenting their files for investment or participation.

Ministry of Industry spokesman Morteza al-Safi told The Iraqi News Agency (AAP) that "the total number of factories in companies (227) is 227, while the number of factories operating (140) is 140."

Suspended factories and private sector companies

He pointed out that "the number of industrial projects operating up to 30/4/2019, (2248) industrial projects, and the number of industrial projects fully established up to 30/4/2019 (20415) industrial projects."

"18,167 industrial projects are out of business," he said.

Loss-making companies

"There are many measures to address the problem of the losing companies, restructuring and evaluating existing production lines and developing economically viable ones," al-Safi said.

The problem of inflation is also addressed through the activation of the Business Development Center, which cares about employment outside the labour force and seeks to redistribute employment to cover the labour needs of both government and private sectors, in addition to activating partnership and investment contracts with the local and foreign private sector sought to address the obstacles to expansion in the field of investment.

"As for the time ceilings, they are linked to the timings of the implementation of the industrial sector strategy adopted until 2030, as it is planned at the end of the term to transfer most public companies to the private sector, except for strategic industries that will remain linked to the state."

Reasons for factory shutdowns

Speaking about the reasons for the plant shutdown, al-Safi stressed that "the obsolescence of existing factories, factories and production lines, most factories were established in the 1960s and 1970s and need large amounts of money to rehabilitate and modernize them in keeping with the technological development."

"Most factories and factories were damaged and destroyed by the entry of ISIS terrorist gangs in 2016, and the military operations to liberate the areas occupied by these gangs," he said.

"One of the reasons is also the lack of economic feasibility in operating some factories, factories and production lines due to random imports, market openness and the presence of similar products imported at very cheap prices and supported by exporting countries to hit the Iraqi product," he said.

"There are many other reasons related to the security situation of some provinces and cities where these factories are located or the import procedures for raw materials involved in production and others," he said.

The next Ministry's Policy for Industry Development

According to a spokesman for the Ministry of Industry, "the ministry has prepared in accordance with the government platform the plans and programs studied and aimed at rehabilitating factories, factories and their subsidiaries, which are scattered throughout the provinces in the coming years to improve and diversify local production and develop the production process. It enhances the reputation and strength of national products in local markets and restores confidence in government institutions in the quality and durability of the Ministry of Industry and Minerals' products."

He explained that the ministry has adopted the rehabilitation process for several tracks, including utilizing the funds of the investment plan, which is centrally funded in rehabilitation projects, in coordination with the ministries of planning and finance, and entering into partnership contracts with the sober and empowered private sector, including rehabilitation work, and modernization. Technology and the signing of investment contracts that include the investor's rehabilitation and operation of the invested plants and is committed to paying a percentage of the production under the design capacity of those factories."

He pointed out that "the ministry has begun to implement the axes of the government program for the years (2019-2022) and was able to achieve different activities and achievements during the 100-day period," pointing out that "the most important thing achieved is to get decisions supporting and encouraging the national industry are the decision to sell in advance and exempt goods and goods." Supplied to ministry companies from customs duties.""

He continued that "achievements in the level of investment projects in Basra province included the start of the experimental operation of the petrochemical company and the operation of the first line in the general company for the southern fertilizer industry with a production capacity of (28,800) tons per year and the continuation of the qualification to operate the second line during this General and start the implementation of the foundations for the rolling line and the removal of the old equipment for the steel line in the General Company for Iron and Steel, as well as the completion of the building of antibiotics and the operation of the production line of medical elephants during the first quarter of this year and the completion of the implementation of the infrastructure contracts and the electric plant of the city Industrial in Dhi Qar and holding the power plant in Basra.""

"The ministry's achievements in terms of its operational activities are the export of Prime Coat and Kat Pak in the General Mining Industries Company, the opening of the production lines of reconnaissance drones and combat armored vehicles in the General Military Industries Company and the implementation of Projects for the installation and operation of solar power generation systems in al-Zawraa General Company, in addition to a filling and ironing system and an automatic sewing system for the alum factory in the General Company for The Sulfur of Mashraq, as well as the preparation and operation of floating plants by Ibn Majid Company Giant number two to raise the water level of the river regulator of the River Al-Ashar."

He continued that "one of the achievements of the Ministry achieved is the operation and receipt of the tire formation line and its introduction to work in coordination with the Swiss equipped company and the implementation of two contracts for the rehabilitation of power units in Salah refineries. Religion (1, 2), in addition to the achievements of the R&D process by patenting the number (2) and patenting the number (6) under registration and other achievements.""

Al-Safi concluded that "the number of manpower in the ministry and all its formations is approximately 121,000 employees."

Earlier, the Iraqi Media Network launched the Supreme National Campaign to Support Iraqi Industry.

Alaa al-Hattab, a member of the Security Council of the Media Network, told The Iraqi News Agency (AAP) on Sunday that "the Council of Trustees has approved the launch of the supreme national campaign to support all joints of Iraqi industry."

He added that "the campaign will be carried out by all the joints of the Iraqi media network and its media organizations represented by (Al-Akhbara tv channel - Iraqi public channel - sports channel - Turkmen channel - Kurdish channel) in addition to al-Sabah newspaper and al-Sabah newspapers in the provinces, and the network magazine, as well as the network's offices in Provinces".

"The aim of the campaign is to support the local product and develop Iraqi industry, and not to rely on the importer," he said, adding that "supporting the national industry and restarting the stalled factories will provide opportunities for the unemployed and move the economy."

He called on all Iraqi government companies and factories to interact positively with the network's institutions to reflect their products, businesses and industrial projects.

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