TEHRAN – Head of Iran Small Industries and Industrial Parks Organization (ISIPO) has said 428 development projects worth 129 trillion rials (about $3 billion) are currently underway in the country’s industrial parks and zones.

“Currently, 3,212 production units based in industrial parks and zones are installing machinery and have a physical progress of more than 60 percent,” Ali Rasoulian told IRNA on Saturday.

According to the official, 11,635 units are also constructing siloes, which account for 27 percent of the total projects in industrial parks and zones.

Based on the latest statistics, 48,605 production units have been put into operation in industrial parks and zones so far, Rasoulian said.

The official noted that over 980,000 people are currently working in the mentioned production units.

He further stated that 633 new production units have started operation in the country’s industrial parks and zones since the beginning of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21), which have created job opportunities for 16,744 people.

“This year, we plan to create 100,000 jobs in industrial parks and zones, which will be realized through inaugurating new units, reviving idle units, and increasing the capacity of existing units,” Rasoulian said.

Elsewhere in his remarks, the official noted that the ISIPO is also planning to establish new large-scale industrial parks in collaboration with the private sector in the current Iranian calendar year.

According to the latest statistics, currently, 1,011 industrial parks, industrial zones, and special economic zones are established in the country, of which 828 are active.

Over the past few years, promoting the country’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and industrial parks has been put atop agenda by the government and especially the Industry, Mining, and Trade Ministry, since SMEs account for nearly 50 percent of Iran’s total industrial sector and more than 20 percent of the country’s non-oil exports are done by such units.

As the main body in dealing with the promotion of SMEs in the country, ISIPO has been implementing several programs for realizing the mentioned goals and to pave the way for the development of the mentioned sector.

EF/MA