TEHRAN – Some 9,000 new contracts have been signed for establishing industrial units across Iran since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20, 2020), the head of Iran Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organization (ISIPO) announced on Monday.

Speaking to the press on the sidelines of a visit to an industrial park near Tehran, Ali Rasoulian noted that the number of established industrial units in the current Iranian calendar year has increased 100 percent compared to the previous year, IRNA reported.

“If we are looking for creating employment, the necessary space and infrastructure must be provided for the development of industrial units; currently more than 9,000 contracts have been signed for the establishment of industrial units in the country,” Rasoulian said.

The Deputy Minister of Industry, Mining and Trade added: "This year, the number of foreign investment applicants has also been growing; wherever there is interest for investment we are obliged to provide desirable conditions."

Rasoulian further pointed to knowledge-based companies as one of the priorities of the Industry Ministry and said: "We are trying to solve the problems of knowledge-based companies by providing them with necessary space in industrial parks."

Back in January, Rasoulian had said that 1,160 new industrial units have gone operational in Iran’s industrial parks since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year.

According to the official, the mentioned units created job opportunities for over 20,000 people.

The official noted that his organization was going to take all the necessary measures to support the newly established units and also to help those who want to establish new units put their projects into operation.

“Fortunately, this year's budget bill has allocated a good amount for providing the necessary infrastructure in industrial parks,” he said.

He further noted that although about 22-24 percent of the country's industrial units were inactive and semi-active in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19, 2020) the figure has decreased to 18.7 percent this year.

According to Rasoulian, 1,170 idle industrial units have also been revived in the country since the beginning of the current year, crating 19,400 job opportunities.

Based on the Industry, Mining, and Trade Ministry data, the ministry was initially planning to revive 1,500 idle units in the current year, but then it revised its programs to revive 2,000 units.

Iran’s industrial parks play a significant role in making the country independent through boosting production, which is a major strategy of Iran to combat the U.S. sanctions.

In fact, strengthening domestic production to achieve self-reliance is the most important program that Iran is following up in its industry sector in a bid to nullify the effects of the U.S. sanctions on its economy.

In this due, the current Iranian calendar year (began on March 20) has been named the year of “Surge in Production”, and all governmental bodies, as well as the private sector, are moving in line with the materialization of this motto.

EF/MA