SHIRAZ, Fars Prov. – In the first half of the current Iranian year (March 21-September 22), some 400,000 tons of cement was produced in the Fars Cement Plant, IRNA reported on Saturday.

This showed 5.8% increase compared to the same period last year. Local projects, including the Firuzabad-Assaluyeh road, four dam construction projects, and the combined recycle power plant of Kazerun have consumed about 28.5% of the plant’s half-year production. Meanwhile, some 350,000 tons of clinker was produced in the factory during the said period, 20,000 tons up from last year’s figure.

Gorgan airport needs $1.1m to be completed

GORGAN, Golestan Prov. – An additional 1.1-million-dollar credit is required for the completion of a development plan currently being implemented at this northeastern city’s only airport, general director of the provincial Roads and Transportation Department said.

“The cabinet has approved the plan to extend the airport’s upward airspace,” Taqi Shurabi stated. Shifting to other construction projects in the province, he said, the feasibility studies of the Aliabad-Shahrud Road have just started, and that ‘the construction of Ramian-Shahrud Road will be completed if the financial requirements are provided on time’.

‘Self-sufficiency in barley will take more than 4 years’: former minister

TEHRAN – To achieve self-sufficiency in barley is easy to talk about, but in reality it may take more than the 4-year period the current agriculture ministry claims, the former agriculture minister told ILNA on Saturday. “We should wait and see the production growth rate at that time (2010),” Mahmud Hojjati added, “This rate is more important than the increase in barley farming coverage, which is a variable factor and will change immediately if the coverage is not increased any more.”

He also said that his ministry had planned to ‘increase oilseed production in ten years’ and self-sufficiency was not a goal then, implying that cutting oilseeds imports is not possible in a short term either.

Cell phone production in Iran may start next year

TEHRAN – An electronic market industrialist said on Saturday that the start of mobile phone production in the country is projected to fall in the next Iranian year (starts March 20, 2007).

An agreement was recently signed between three domestic electronic companies and the Industries and Mines Ministry to make it officially possible to begin the process of mobile phone manufacturing in Iran. However, Hamid Monji, whose company is one of the three companies involved in the project, noted they should announce the foreign company’s name that will be part of the joint venture by October 23.

He claimed that five months after finalizing the deal with the foreign mobile phone producer, Nokia or LG, the designing process will be completed.

Over 150 villages in Isfahan Prov. suffering from drought

ISFAHAN – An official from Isfahan Province’s Rural Water & Wastewater Company said that more than 150 villages in this central province have been affected by drought.

“These villages, with a total population of 43,300, have experienced low rainfalls in the past few years and need emergency water supply,” he said, putting the required fund for building reservoirs, water supplying and distribution at 40 billion rials (nearly $4.3 million), an amount that should be provided by the Energy Ministry.