Al-Sudani affirms the importance of Partnership with the private sector to meet market needs with locally produced industrial products instead of imports

Baghdad-INA
 
Prime Minister Mohammed S. Al-Sudani presided today over the signing ceremony of three partnership contracts for industrial projects with the private sector, in the presence of the Minister of Industry and Minerals.
 
A statement by the Prime Minister's Media Office received by the Iraqi News Agency (INA) stated,”The projects include the establishment of a nitrogenous urea fertilizer plant in Abu Al-Khaseeb, Basra, with a production capacity of one million tons annually; the rehabilitation and operation of the Baiji Fertilizer Plant in Salah al-Din, with a production capacity of 672,000 tons annually; and the expansion of the soda and chlorine plant in Babil, with a design capacity of 90 tons per day of soda and 80 tons per day of chlorine.”
 
The Prime Minister reaffirmed, “the government's focus on the industrial sector to meet local market demands and export the surplus, he highlighted that these projects will fulfill Iraq’s full fertilizer needs, especially the Baiji Fertilizer Plant, which was rebuilt after being destroyed by terrorism.”
 
The Prime Minister also emphasized,”the government's commitment to supplying these projects with operating gas at subsidized prices, ensuring the availability of essential chemical products for the oil industry, which previously required hard currency to import.”
 
The Prime Minister urged ,”the companies involved to shorten the contract duration and directed the management teams to present any obstacles hindering the projects to accelerate their resolution he also instructed public company managers to support the private investors executing these projects.”
 
The Prime Minister stressed,” that the government has no plans to privatize state-owned companies but is focused on productive partnerships with the private sector to add value, which is the true reform this is alongside supporting the private sector, as success in these partnerships will encourage other ministries furthermore, he highlighted the reforms in the banking sector, which serve as a cornerstone for supporting successful private sector projects and preparing economic feasibility studies.”
 
The signed contracts include the construction of a urea plant in Abu Al-Khaseeb, relying on dry gas in cooperation with the State Company for Southern Fertilizers, as well as the rehabilitation and operation of the Baiji Fertilizer Plant in partnership with a Qatari company and technological foundations from a leading Swiss company in ammonia and urea meanwhile, the expansion of the soda and chlorine plant with Al-Furat State Company will add soda and other chemical products to meet local demand.