Kurdistan Region to establish two key industrial zones in Halabja

Sangar Ali 2021/03/20 02:07

Although the Kurdistan Region began exporting pomegranates from Halabja to Germany in December, KRG officials aim to boost local agriculture and other business by creating two key investment zones in the province. (Photo: Kurdistan 24)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) announced on Thursday that it aims to establish two major industrial zones in the province of Halabja for food and heavy industry as part of ongoing efforts to bolster local economies in the autonomous region of Iraq.

The industrial cities will play a key role in efforts to achieve both food security and food independence in the Kurdistan Region, now dependent on imports from other provinces of Iraq or neighboring countries.

KRG Board of Investment head Mohammed Shukri told local media that, according to the plan, Halabja will become a significant food center for Iraq and the region.

His speech came days after the 33rd anniversary of the infamous chemical attack, which has unfortunately become synonymous with the name Halabja, carried out by the former Iraqi authoritarian regime on March 16, 1988.

“Now, we are trying to find proper land for the zones in the province of Halabja as we need 400 dunums of land,” Shukri added. “The actual creation of the zones will reach the implementation stage later this year.”

He also noted that there will be about 100 different factories in the two zones, such as canning various kinds of food produced in the region and juice factories.

According to the Board of Investment, in 2020 alone, the body approved 25 new projects in the province, most of them related to agriculture and livestock.

“In general, the government has dedicated about 150 projects in Halabja, which will go into the implementation in different stages,” he explained. “All of these will be discussed in a special conference that will take place in the province in the coming months with the purpose of attracting investors to invest in the area.”

The Kurdish official stressed that the projects will provide thousands of job opportunities for the people of Halabja.

The KRG aims to establish a total of 11 industrial zones across the Kurdistan Region – three in Erbil province, two in Sulaimani, two in Duhok, two in Halabja, as well as two in the areas of Garmiyan and Raparin.

The government aims to diversify its economy and invest heavily in the sectors of agriculture, tourism, trade, and industry. For that reason, the KRG has often invited foreign investors to contribute to the economic development of the region.

Editing by John J. Catherine