Official support to industry

Minister of Industry waves carrot before unlicensed industrialists

The Minister of Industry Vrej Sabounjian called all industrialists working without a permit to approach the ministry so as to obtain their licenses. He said that the ministry has undertaken a policy based on promoting and facilitating industrial investment.

Sabounjian cited a number of factors encouraging business owners to register their factories. He said that registered factories benefit from a special tariff on power supply. The Ministry of Industry also helps industries through covering part of the fees for participating in international exhibitions, the minister said. He also said that the ministry helps industrialists register their vehicles.

Minister Sabounjian and the Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Marwan Charbel, agreed, on Monday (September 26), to allow vehicles belonging to industrial institutions to travel within the country without being registered at the Chambers of Trade, Industry, and Agriculture. According to the newly agreed protocol, industrial vehicles would only require a certificate issued by the Ministry of Industry.

Sabounjian was speaking during a ceremony held by the Printing Industries Syndicate to honor the owners of ten printing institutions working in the field for more than 50 years. According to the minister, there are around 1450 printing institutions in the country, offering jobs to 15,000 workers.