(MENAFN – Wadsam) The state-run Bost Enterprise, a cotton grinning factory, has
officially reopened after seven years.
According to a statement from Helman Governor’s office,
farmer’s cotton products are processed into pure cotton, oil, soap, fennel, and
cotton waste.
The statement further adds that 4,000 tons of cotton will be
purchased for processing in this factory, of which 800 tons have been completed
so far.
‘The opening of this factory will create job opportunities
to many farmers, and we are hoping this factory will serve as an alternative to
opium production in the province,’ said Helmand Governor Mohammad Yasin at the
opening ceremony on Monday.
Bost Enterprise was first established more than 50 years ago
during the reign of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the last king of Afghanistan. Between
the mid 1960s to the late 1980s, the plant processed around 32,000 tons of
cotton a year and produced close to 11 tons of cooking oil and thousands of
bars of laundry soap. The Enterprise was shut down 11 years ago due to lack of
sufficient budget. It resumed operations for a brief period but closed back again
soon.
Helmand is one of the major cotton production centers in the
country with over 15,000 hectares of cotton fields. At the same time the
province is also the hub of Afghan opium production.
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