Biruk Girma
8 February 2008
Addis Abeba — The marked progress registered in the industry sector over the last two years is reflective of the fact that the country is well on track to attain the desired targets under the five year strategic plan, minister of trade and industry said on Thursday.
The five year poverty reduction and sustainable development strategic plan prepared by the government and endorsed by Ethiopians development partners runs from 1998-2002 Ethiopian fiscal year.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Minister Girma Biru said the country was moving forward particularly in the industry sector as figures in the mid term period of the entire strategic plan showed.
Girma said the industry sector projected a 9 % development each year of the five year plan.
But he said results have shown that the sector grew by 10.2 % and 11 % in 1998 and 1999 respectively exceeding the set target.
The minister said they were now speculating a 12 % score in the rate of development for the sector.
"Even during the upcoming two and half years the development of the sector would be above 12% heading towards being the second sector to score the highest development in the country followed by the service sector," Girma said in his office.
The minister said the manufacturing, construction and power development sub-sectors were behind the significant achievement scored by the industry sector.
According to Girma, the government attaches importance to virtually all sectors but there were some specified sub-sectors it gives special attention to, for their comparative necessity in over all process of nation building.
He said the leather and leather production industry sector was a case in point.
Girma said up on the completion of the set time, the government envisions to export 60 -70 thousands of pair of shoes a day counting 25 million pair per year.
Parallel to that, he said, capacity strengthening of the factories to process the leather products to final quality stage for the international market was also set by the government.
Till end of last month, a capacity to produce 24 thousand pair of shoes has been maintained the plan is for the number to reach 50 thousands given the conducive atmosphere to site one example of the remarkable achievements in the sector, Girma said.
The minister also spoke of other achievements by a host of sub-sectors, from garment to textile, to horti and floriculture, and sugar Industries, among others.
He said that justified government's expectations was to attain more than the proposed plan by the end of the year 2002.
The industry sector will be instrumental in realizing the country's ambition to boost its export trade by 20 - 25% each year, Girma observed.
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