Afghanistan's second steel plant began operating on Tuesday, giving the country an additional 5 percent capacity to meet its own steel demand, according to the Commerce and Industries Minister Anwarul Haq Ahadi.
Ahadi said Tuesday that the establishment of the factory in western Herat province will help the country to reduce its iron and steel imports while also providing more employment opportunities for Afghans.
"The factory is effective for both Herat and the whole country's economy," he said at the plant's inauguration Tuesday.
The country's second factory has a capital worth of $8 million, largely funded by an Afghan trader, and employs 100 people.
Herat governor Daoud Saba spoke at the inauguration of several other reconstruction and development projects inside the province.
He said he was optimistic at the growth of commerce in Herat, saying that "more efforts will be made to begin other development projects".
The factory chief Esmatullah Wardak said the plant mainly produces rods and poles for construction from the raw material of old iron.
Wardak added that, in total, he had already invested up to $25 million in the factory.