Damascus, SANA – The Industry Ministry focused its efforts during 2014 on improving the performance of the public and private industrial sectors and on supporting stalled companies who were affected by the crisis so that they can resume activity.
During the year, the Ministry managed to put 16 stalled companies and facilities back in business, and made use of the Iranian credit lines to import components to restart the Syrian-Iranian Automobile Manufacturing Company (Siamco) which produced 100 cars.
The Ministry also opened a branch of Metal Constructions Company to produce electric power pylons, in addition to receiving permission to restart work in textiles companies, signing a memo of understanding towards restarting cement production companies, as well as contracts with India and China for developing work in iron and tires companies.
The Ministry also made efforts towards improving the performance of vocational training centers, so that they can become productive establishment and not only educational establishments.
Other projects the Ministry pursued in 2014 include one on generating electricity from solar and wind energies, feasibility studies for new projects for manufacturing IV fluids, yeast, sugar, and liquid base for medicine.
In the private sector, the Ministry provided numerous facilitations and forms of support to industrialists to help them bring their facility back to work, in addition to taking steps to encourage industrialists who left the country due to the circumstances spawned by the crisis to return and become part of the business sector in Syria again.
Some of these steps include regulating the import of non-medical chemical substances for commercial purposes, permitting the export of mixed and hybrid cotton threads, and exempting industrialists from certain fees and paperwork.
During 2014, a total of 221 private industrial and vocational facilities have been established and launched across the country, with a total capital of SYP 55 billion, which helped cut down unemployment rates as they provided job opportunities to around 1,471 workers.
Hazem Sabbagh