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MAZAR-E-SHARIF, Afghanistan – Afghan ministry officials, international aid representatives, and ISAF had a meeting at a local flour mill located in an industrial park in Mazar-e-Sharif, in northern Afghanistan, to discuss what was needed to operate the mill more efficiently.
United States Agency for International Development built the industrial park in 2005 to provide a location for industrial businesses to operate. Most of the plots of land have been purchased by local Afghan businessmen.
One of the few drawbacks of the industrial park is that it does not have a power source, so businesses have to provide their own through the purchasing of generators. Recently, the flour mill had to install a new generator outside the mill, cutting into the business’ profit margins.
“The only concerns with the clients who own property in the park is if there is no generator installed here so they cannot compete with other people at the market,” said Satar Baqi, owner of the flower mill. “So it is only a problem of electricity. We work around the clock when the power is on to produce the amount of flour we need to sell.”
During the meeting, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and ISAF discussed the possibility of routing power from a nearby generator or building a new one for the industrial park. During the shura, it was determined that a ten megawatt generator would supply the park with all the power it needs. This meeting, between local owners and members of the Afghan government, allowed the people to voice their concerns in an open forum, providing an opportunity for the government to provide assistance to the Afghan population.
| Date Taken: | 12.05.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 12.08.2010 05:13 |
| Story ID: | 61539 |
| Location: | KABUL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, AF |
| Web Views: | 31 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Local Government Assists Small Businesses, by SSG Michael Reinsch, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
