KABUL, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) -- Afghanistan's first cement production plant was officially inaugurated in the southern province of Kandahar on Thursday evening, head of the Kandahar Chamber of Mines and Industries Sayed Sarwar Amani said Friday.
Built on 100 acres of land at 113 million U.S. dollars, the plant has a production capacity of 1,500 tons of cement per day, Amani said.
The plant is designed to increase its production capacity to 5,000 tons per day in the future, the official said, adding that it currently employs around 1,000 people, with the workforce expected to increase as production expands.
Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar also addressed the inauguration ceremony, pledging government support for investment and calling on industrialists and investment companies to invest in Afghanistan, Amani added.
The Afghan government also launched construction of another cement plant in Jabal Saraj district of eastern Parwan province in July, as part of efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in cement production.
Government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has said the administration would continue building more cement factories in the war-torn country. ■