KABUL, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Afghan authorities inaugurated construction of a major pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in southern Kandahar province on Wednesday, a step toward industrial self-reliance and reduced dependence on imported medicines, the provincial government office said in a statement.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar underscored the strategic importance of expanding domestic industry.
"Economic independence and self-sufficiency can only be achieved through comprehensive and decisive measures in the industrial sector," he said, adding that the country has now created favorable conditions for investment.
The privately financed plant, budgeted at 30 million U.S. dollars, will rise on a 10,000-square-meter site in the Ayno Maina area of Kandahar city, the provincial capital, according to the statement released on Wednesday.
Official data indicate that Afghanistan currently operates 134 pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, producing 1,170 different medicines. These plants meet roughly 38 percent of the nation's total pharmaceutical demand. ■
