Industry boom in Kurdistan... self-sufficiency, ending unemployment, and a plan to cancel importers

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[size=52]Industry boom in Kurdistan... self-sufficiency, ending unemployment, and a plan to cancel importers[/size]

[size=45]Erbil / Suzan Taher[/size]
[size=45]Since the economic crisis that the Kurdistan region experienced after 2014, and as a result of the region’s budget being cut as a result of financial disputes between Baghdad and Erbil, the Kurdistan government began a plan for the purpose of paying attention to the local industry and establishing laboratories and factories with the aim of relying on the local product.[/size]
[size=45]Dependence on the importer[/size]
[size=45]The writer and journalist specializing in economic affairs, Nujeen Othman, says that, since 1991, parties related to industrialization and aspirants have sought to bring industries to the Kurdistan region, due to the accumulation of experience that came as a result of previous work in state institutions in the region.[/size]
[size=45]He stated in his interview with (Al-Mada) that “despite the weak capabilities, the dream haunted many people, hoping to employ the idle and stagnant ones in the old and new warehouses, which appealed to industry merchants.”[/size]
[size=45]He added, “Despite the Kurdistan region’s reliance on imported industries in previous years by 80%, the great support provided by the regional government to investors, the encouragement of local industry, and the distribution of land to them, all of these steps contributed to increasing the reliance of factories and increasing their numbers.”[/size]
[size=45]In Kurdistan, there are about 1,200 large, medium and small factories, producing food, plastic, sweets, building materials, iron, steel, and others.[/size]
[size=45]According to statistics published on the website of the Ministry of Industry and Trade in the Kurdistan Regional Government, the Ministry classified factories into ten categories, namely construction industries, food industries, spinning and weaving, metallurgical, chemical, plastic, cellulosic industries, hardware and tools factories, furniture and services.[/size]
[size=45]The Ministry’s data indicates that the factories established in recent years were 74 plastics industries factories, 66 food industries factories, 60 construction industries factories, 57 metal industries factories, 50 furniture factories, 44 chemical industries factories, 39 services factories, 29 cellulosic industries factories. Three hardware and numerical laboratories, and two spinning and weaving laboratories.[/size]
[size=45]The most popular industries[/size]
[size=45]Saman Abdullah, the official of the Chamber of Commerce in Sulaymaniyah, believes that the industry in Kurdistan has witnessed great prosperity in recent years, and many Iraqi merchants depend on the local industry in the region.[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out in his speech to (Al-Mada) that “the materials that are witnessing the most prosperity and recovery are the agricultural industries, sweets and dairy industries of all kinds, in addition to the plastic industries, the glass industry, as well as building materials such as cement, sand, stone, and others.”[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, “The regional government must support the local industry by imposing a high tax on imported products, especially goods entering from Turkey and Iran, because this matter will encourage local resorts.”[/size]
[size=45]Also, the government must force institutions and ministries to purchase goods from local factories and laboratories, in addition to reducing tax rates on local industry in the region.[/size]
[size=45]He added, “Industry in Kurdistan, and with the availability of the appropriate environment, unemployment rates can be reduced to their lowest levels, and self-sufficiency can be achieved for more than 50% of products in the coming years.”[/size]
[size=45]Provide appropriate conditions[/size]
[size=45]The former member of the Kurdistan Regional Parliament for the Industry Committee says, “The ground is suitable and good in the region, but we need to activate important steps to encourage local industry.”[/size]
[size=45]He stressed in his speech to (Al-Mada) that “in Kurdistan there is an important environmental factor, which is the stability of the weather condition, in addition to security stability, in addition to the presence of basic primary needs in many industries, including plastic, glass, sweets of all kinds, building materials and construction materials, and these can be benefited from.” materials to stimulate local industry.”[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out that “the industry will not flourish except through the availability of government support, and the first of these steps is to support investors and businessmen, whether foreign or Iraqi, for the purpose of building laboratories and factories, and this is what the regional government did, by providing distinctive lands and allocating them to factories and laboratories.”[/size]
[size=45]He continued, "The Kurdistan government must have a 10-year plan to reduce dependence on the importer, and at the present time there are more than 20 items with which self-sufficiency can be achieved and not imported at all. This contributes to keeping the hard currency inside the country and reviving the movement of markets."[/size]
[size=45]Many factors contribute to making the Kurdistan Region a major investment destination, including its remarkable stability, abundant natural reserves, investment-friendly legislation, its skilled workforce, its strategic geographical location, its diverse sectors, and the requirements of its thriving market at the local and regional levels.[/size]
[size=45]Demand for various manufactured goods in Iraq is growing rapidly, including construction materials, chemicals, fertilizers, vehicles, machinery, consumer goods, and others, thanks to oil and gas revenues, increasing household incomes, and large-scale rebuilding of infrastructure. With its abundant energy sources, easy local access to most raw materials, and a favorable business environment, the Kurdistan region offers an ideal environment for establishing manufacturing projects to meet the needs of this rapidly expanding market with the potential to export to other thriving markets in the surrounding region.[/size]
[size=45]The elimination of unemployment[/size]
[size=45]Last year, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, opened the “Van Steel” steel factory in Erbil.[/size]
[size=45]Van Steele is the largest iron factory in the Kurdistan region and Iraq, as it was implemented by the “Ka Liawa” group, licensed by the ninth formation of the Kurdistan government.[/size]
[size=45]The project provides many job opportunities, 95% of which are for local workers, and provides more than the region and Iraq’s need for iron.[/size]
[size=45]The Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government, Masrour Barzani, had indicated in previous statements during the opening of a packaging factory that “It is encouraging to see the industrial sector developing in Kurdistan, which can help a lot in supporting the agricultural sector, which enables us to export farmers’ products and local products, such as These factories will help us export our products as a brand in the region.”[/size]
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