KABUL, May 25 (Xinhua) -- Post-war Afghanistan has achieved self-sufficiency in producing footwear, and around 180 footwear-producing plants are operational in Mazar-i-Sharif city, the capital of Balkh province in northern Afghanistan, said Imamudin Sanaizada, head of the Chamber of Industry and Mines of Balkh province.
"We have achieved self-sufficiency in producing footwear, and around 180 plants are producing footwear and plastic crockery here in Balkh province," the official Bakhtar News Agency quoted Sanaizada on Monday as saying.
The industry, according to the official, has created job opportunities for thousands of people.
In the meantime, Faridullah Afzali, managing director of a footwear plant, told Bakhtar that around 200 people have been working in his factory.
Deputy Governor of Balkh province Mawlawi Noorul Hadi Abu Edris has pledged governmental support for the private sector, calling upon companies to invest and contribute to the rebuilding process of the post-war nation.
He also expressed the hope that Afghanistan would begin exporting footwear in the near future. ■