The Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) signed contracts for the Jabal Saraj Parwan cement plant with a Qatari company and two domestic companies worth more than $200 million.

Speaking at the signing meeting, the acting Minister of Petroleum and Mines, Shahabuddin Delawar, said that this contract will last for 30 years and that one and a half million tons of cement will be produced annually from the cement plant.

“We will be self-sufficient in cement production in the next one or two years, and we may also export cement,” Delawar said.

The acting Minister of Petroleum and Mines called investment in the country important for economic growth and development.

He said that in January 2024, 1,000 tons of oil will be extracted from the Qashgari mine.

"In January, our oil extraction will increase to 1,000 tons. Yesterday I saw the global price, one ton is $709 dollars,” Delawar said.

Meanwhile, the official said that with the implementation of this project, employment opportunities will be provided for five thousand people in Afghanistan.

"Our company had over ten months of negotiations with the Ministry of Mines, and we achieved an agreement. After signing this contract, we will start our operations in Afghanistan as soon as feasible,” said the head of the Qatari company.

In the meeting, an official of MCC China said they want to extract the Logar Mes Aynak copper in a practical way.

"We hope that the Mes Aynak copper project will proceed under the leadership of the minister, and we will see the day when the work of Mes Aynak copper starts, and we will witness the same stage and development,” said a representative of MCC company.

Earlier, the Deputy Ministry of Mines and Petroleum also gave a local firm the contract for the cement in Kandahar, and that company invested $100 million in the project, which will have a production capacity of 1 million tons of cement annually.