HERAT (PAN): Work on an iron-melting factory that will provide jobs for about 300 people started in western Herat province on Monday, an official said.

The Kabul Fulad factory, which will be built on 17.5 acres (7 hectares) of land in an industrial park, would be finished in four months, head of the industrialists’ union, Hamidullah Khadim, said.

The factory, costing about $16 million (722.4 million afghanis), would use old iron and imported iron from other countries to create 150 types of construction materials, he said.

Machines for the factory were purchased in Britain, Pakistan, Germany, India and Pakistan, head of the factory, Esmatullah Wardak, said. The factory is being funded by three businessmen, he said.

About 300 experts, 50 of which would come from India and Pakistan, would work in the factory, he said. This is the second iron-melting factory in Herat, and the first one started work in the same province last year.

The industrial park was established by a former governor, Mohammad Ismail Khan, in 2002. It is set on about 7,500 acres (3,035 hectares) of land in Guzrah district, and has electricity and water supplies.

According to the industrialists’ union, 671 factories have registered with the union and 300 are currently operating, providing jobs for about 35,000 people.

The factories in the industrial park include manufacturers, such as those that make iron materials, utensils, ghee, cool drinks and washing liquids, as well as motorbike repair workshops.

frm /cas