KABUL, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's Ministry of Mines and Petroleum has signed three contracts worth over 500 million U.S. dollars on cement production, local media reported Tuesday.
Three cement factories will mine raw materials in Herat, Parwan and Kandahar provinces, Ariana News quoted Homayoun Afghan, spokesman of the ministry, as saying.
Once the factories are put into operation, Afghanistan will produce enough cement for its own needs, the official added.
Moreover, three additional contracts for producing cement will be signed with companies in Logar, Jawzjan and Samangan provinces of the country in the future, according to the ministry.
Hoping for self-sufficiency in cement production, the Afghan caretaker government has vowed to rebuild destroyed cement plants and construct new cement factories in the war-battered country. ■
