HERAT CITY (SW) – At least one hundred production units in Herat have ceased operations amid uncertain political and economic conditions in the country.
Esmatullah Wardak is in charge of the “Kable Steel” factory in Herat Industrial Estate. He says he has been developing this factory for more than 12 years with an investment of about $ 20 million.
Esmatullah Wardak says that his factory is currently closed due to recent developments in the country, the closure of banks, the lack of raw materials and the dearth of sales.
Abdul Matin Qalandari, another factory owner in Herat, says most of the factories have ceased operations because the future of the country is unclear and their funds are frozen in banks. “The situation in the country is such that traders are lacking confident, they can’t come and invest,” he added.
According to officials, more than 3,000 people have lost their jobs and are currently living in difficult economic conditions, as factories in Herat have ceased operations.
“We have been working here for five years and we were very satisfied with this company,” said Khalil Ahmad, a factory worker in Herat. “But, since it has been closed and drastic political changes have taken place in the country, our work is also closed and now I am struggling to support my family”, he said.
Meanwhile, Hamidullah Khadem, head of the Herat Chamber of Industries and Mines, said that with the new government in place, at least 100 factories in the province had stopped operating. He said the traders were working with officials from the Islamic Emirate to reopen them.
The head of the Herat Chamber of Industries and Mines added: “100 factories are closed, only about 70 to 80 factories are active or partially active, we hope that, God willing, we will see the reopening of these factories with the promises made by our the leaders of the Islamic Emirate”.
Factory owners in Herat also say they will lose millions of dollars in damages if their problems are not resolved and they are unable to resume operations soon.
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