KABUL (SW) -The state-owned bread factory ‘Silo Markazi’ in Kabul, has been reactivated and has resumed production after decades of production stoppage.
“After hectic efforts we have reactivated the Silo-e-Markazi to resume production and for the first time over the past 30 years it begun baking breads and cakes,” chief of the bread producing body, Khayal Mohammad Maher said on Sunday.
He added that they are working to increase the plant’s production capacity to four or five tons of flour per day. According to him, only one of the four machines in the factory is currently active.
Meanwhile, Zakaria Rasouli and Atiqullah Biqar, two deputies of the Silo told Salam Watandar that the center had 33 selling spots in different parts of Kabul and that all of them would get the supplies now.
“We have started production again, we want to serve our homeland and our people,” Atiqullah said restlessly. “At the moment, we are only drawing the attention of respected officials to support us.”
The factory officials said the center used to have more than 2,000 employees, but now that number has dropped to 130. Of these employees, 12 are women.
“We are very happy to be back at work, we are very happy,” one of the women told Salam Watandar in an interview. “May God grant us success and guidance, we are happy. This is what we want is peace, security to work. I am the breadwinner of four people.”
Officials estimate the center’s basic and non-basic annual income is around 35 million afghanis a year, with a net income of 8 million afghanis a year.
The factory, which has been badly damaged since the 1990s and stopped functioning since 1992, would be fully reconstructed to increase its products, said the officials.
“Two more branches of the silo are situated in the southern Kandahar and western Herat cities and authorities would soon buy necessary equipment to fully reactivate the said factories,” Maher said.
According to the official, the Silo begun its production with baking 200 kg of flour to make bread and cake daily and in the future the capacity would increase to five tons per day.
This is the first-ever state-run production entity that has been reactivated since Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in mid-August, reported agencies.
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