KABUL - Afghanistan Investment Support Agency (AISA) demanded the government to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the vital industrial sector, which would go a long way to ensure progress and prosperity in the country.

Currently 27 industrial parks are active throughout the country.

AISA said 2,500 factories were available in the country but most of them did not get enough electricity that caused them less production.

AISA head Mohammad Qurban Haqjo told a news conference on Sunday that some of industrial parks still lacked electricity and they were provided electricity from residential buildings.

Load-shedding causes factories to lose materials, stop production and warming the machine again affects the factory, he said.

He said power cables extended to Pul-i-Charkhi industrial park were laid on the ground because of Breshan Sherkat negligence. “It does not seem all the appropriate facilities are available for the park which is needed,” he added.

Haqjo said the country’s industrial sector needed serious attention of the government as without government support the sector would be unstable.

He demanded the government to reduce power tariff and taxes on factories so they would focus on improving quality of their products and compete with the companies of foreign countries.

Haqjo also expressed concern about industrial parks land grabbing issue and said that most of the industrial areas were changed to residential areas. He did not provide more information about the land grabbing issue.

Afghanistan Industries Association deputy head Abdul Jabbar Safi also blamed the government for not supporting factories and said that industries could produce high quality with low price products.

The Sharq factory director Abdul Samad called electricity vital for improvement of industry and said that industrialists were seriously affected by load-shedding that occurs several times during a day. (Pajhwok)