Industrial Investment Landscape Swayed by Permits

EghtesadOnline: A total of 1.31 quadrillion rials ($5.03 billion) worth of investment were made in industrial units for which establishment permits were issued, while projects with operating licenses are estimated to have attracted close to 112.84 trillion rials ($431.51 million) in the first two months of the current Iranian year (March 21-April 21).

News ID: ۷۸۶۷۷۶

01 August 2021

Investments in units with establishment permits and operating licenses during March 21-April 21 show a respective growth rate of 99.6% and 51.6% compared with the similar period of last year, the latest report released by the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade shows.

Establishment Permits

A total of 6,485 establishment permits were issued over the two months under review, registering a 27% year-on-year growth. These projects are expected to create 176,002 jobs – 50.2% more compared with the corresponding period of the year before.

Fars Province with 457, Khorasan Razavi Province with 454 and West Azarbaijan Province had the largest share of establishment permits issued during the period.

Khorasan Razavi Province, with more than 186.24 trillion rials ($71.22 million) worth of investments for 423 establishment permits, is projected to have attracted the highest amount of investments. This amount registers a 437.2% surge compared with the corresponding period of last year.

The number of establishment permits issued for industrial units located in free trade and special economic zones decreased by 56.3% to 14.

Investments worth nearly 5.11 trillion rials ($19.54 million) are expected to be made in these projects to generate 1,278 jobs, registering a 66.9% and 20.9% YOY plunge respectively.

The field of “other non-metal minerals” saw the highest number of establishment permits (907) followed by “computer and related activities” (660) and “production of chemicals (610). The field of apparel and tanning skins and hides generated the highest number of jobs (24,437).

The highest amount of investment in these units is again expected to be made in projects related to “other non-metal minerals” with more than 199.94 trillion rials ($764.69 billion). The volume accounts for 15.2% of all investments made in projects with establishment permits issued over the 11 months.

Operating Licenses

A total of 919 operating licenses were issued during the period under review, which shows a 20.8% YOY increase. These projects are expected to create 17,103 jobs, indicating a 15.1% rise compared with the corresponding period of last year.

East Azarbaijan Province with 85, Isfahan Province with 69 and Khorasan Razavi Province with 65 had the largest share of all operating licenses issued during the two months.

Tehran Province, with more than 24.92 trillion rials ($9.53 million) for 55 projects, attracted the highest volume of investment in projects with operating licenses. The figure shows a 320.2% surge compared with the similar period of last year and accounts for 22.7% of the total investments made in projects with operating licenses.

The highest number of jobs were generated in the provinces of Alborz, Qom and Tehran with, 2,874, 1,462 and 1206 opportunities respectively.

The number of such licenses issued for industrial projects located in free trade and special economic zones stood at 20, indicating a decline of 73% YOY. More than 2.9 trillion rials (nearly $11.11 million) worth of investments were made in these projects to create 462 jobs, registering a 91.1% and 90.9% decline respectively compared with the corresponding period of last year.

The field of chemical production saw the highest number of operating licenses, namely 129. The same field created the largest number of jobs (2,545) over the two-month period.

The highest volume of investments in this regard was made in projects related to food and beverage production (a total of 16.24 trillion rials or $62.1 million), accounting for 14.8% of all investments made in industrial units for which operating licenses were issued.

The number of greenfield projects for which operating licenses were issued stood at around 466, of which nine were located in free trade and special economic zones, indicating a 42.5% rise and a 69% decline respectively YOY.

A total of 433 permits were issued for the operation of brownfield projects, 11 of which were located in FTZs and special economic zones, showing a 20.3% increase and a 75.6% decline YOY, respectively.

Mineral Production Permits

A total of 65 mineral production permits were issued during the period, registering an 18.7% fall compared with the similar period of last year.

These permits are expected to create 728 jobs, which indicate a 5.3% decline compared with the same period of last year.

The nominal mineral extraction capacity of the projects stands at over 2.24 million tons, which shows an 58.1% decline compared with last year’s corresponding period.

The provinces of Khorasan Razavi with 15, Isfahan with seven, Fars with 46, Sistan-Baluchestan with six, Semnan with five and Zanjan with four had the largest share of mineral production permits issued during the period.

Mineral production permits issued over the two months under review are expected to create the largest number of jobs in the northern Mazandaran Province (145), Khorasan Razavi Province (113), Sistan-Baluchestan (102), Isfahan Province (74), Semnan Province (41), South Khorasan Province (30) and Zanjan Province (26).

The provinces of Khorasan Razavi, Isfahan and Mazandarn with a total of 318,300 tons, 153,800 tons and 155,500 tons respectively had the highest volume of nominal extraction capacities.

A total of 75 exploration permits were issued during the two months ending April 21, which show a rise of 21% compared with the corresponding period of last year.

Exploration costs stood at nearly 285.6 billion rials ($1.09 million), registering a YOY surge of 113.3%.