Economic news in brief (Dec. 16)

Rls.150b to maintain, construct rural roads in Sistan-Baluchestan

TEHRAN – The Iranian Minister of Roads and Transportation said the cabinet has approved to allocate a total of Rls.150b (nearly $16.5m) for rural roads maintenance and construction in the disadvantaged southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan.

“One third of this ($5.5m) will be spent on maintenance operations and the rest is planned to be allocated to construction of new rural roads across the province,” Mohammad Rahmati stated. The credit line allocation pledge is expected to be fully fulfilled before the end of the next Iranian year (starts March 21, 2006). The government has planned to develop the infrastructure in Sistan-Baluchestan, the official claimed, adding “Another plan is to encourage the private sector to play a more active role in the local infrastructural projects.”

ABRII to coordinate ECO biotechnology network’s activities

TEHRAN – The agriculture ministers of member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) selected the Agricultural Biotechnology Research Institute of Iran (ABRII) as the coordinator of the future projects that are to be implemented by the organization’s biotech body.

“This is regarded as a significant improvement for all member states as part of the developing world,” said an ABRII official. Ghasem Hosseini added that, due to having technological (hardware) shortages, developing countries can hardly manage to establish biotechnological organizations on their own. “Therefore, these countries should work together to reach a satisfactory result,” he uttered.

The idea of setting up an ECO-sponsored biotechnology network was put forth by Iran. Currently working as an independent body, the ABRII was established in 1983 as the Plant Biotechnology Department of the Seed and Plant Improvement Institute (SPII).

Iran’s max road transport potential put at 8m tons

TEHRAN – An official from the Ministry of Roads and Transportation said that the national rail and road transport sector is estimated to have a total carrying potential of 8 million tons.

The number could reach 15 million tons if all infrastructural plans included in the Fourth Development Plan (2005-10) are completed in the next four years, added Mohammad Atrchian. He also pointed to Bandar Abbas as the main Central Asia-Persian Gulf transit route. In the last Iranian year (ended March 20, 2005), some 20 million tons of goods were transited via Shahid Bahonar and Shahid Rajaii customs houses, both located in Bandar Abbas. In the same period, he implied, Iran’s transit incomes totaled $1.5 billion.

Cooperatives Ministry vows to create over 2,000 new job opportunities

TEHRAN – The cooperatives sector would be capable of introducing more than 2,000 new jobs in the next Iranian year (starts March 21, 2006) only if it receives the required financial support, the Iranian Cooperatives Minister stated.

“We expect that the parliament, with respect to the concept of the Article 44 of the Constitution, would allocate a reasonable budget to our plans,” added Mohammad Nazemi. He noted that some 140 million rials (15,420 dollars) is needed to create one new job in the cooperatives sector, ‘while each of the industries and agricultural sectors spend over 170 million rials (18,724 dollars) to do the same’. 

ER/MA

END

MNA