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2. The Mazar Vegetable Oil Plant In order to make use of cotton-seed and other oil-bearing seeds at Mazar-i-Sharif, a plant has been purchased from Czechoslovakia and construction work on the factory has already started. 3. Fruit Conserving Plant at Kandahar Afghan fruits have a significant place among exports from the viewpoint of securing foreign currency. However, due to lack of proper means for drying, packing and otherwise preserving them, Afghanistan's fruits have had rather limited sales to date and have not gained the important position in world markets which they deserve on account of their superior quality. In order to remove this drawback, it was decided to set up a fruit conserving plant. When the preliminary surveys had been satisfactorily made, construction work began this year on the plant with the help of the Czechoslovak Techno-Export. The plant has the following sections:— (a) The preserving unit capable of handling 30 tons of fruit in two eight-hour shifts. (b) The juice-making unit handling 10 tons of fruit in two eight-hour shifts (c) The fruit-drying unit which can handle 10 tons of fruit in two eight-hour shifts. (d) The cleaning and sorting unit capable of handling 100 tons of fresh fruit in 24 hours. The plant can also wash, clean, sort and pack 9,000 tons of raisins annually. It will in addition have a laboratory, repair workshop, carpentry section, used water purification unit, steam unit and a 120 kWh. diesel generator. CHINAWARE 1. Shakir Chinaworks A new oven was added to the equipment of the above factory this year, thereby increasing the factory's daily output to 5,000 pieces. A tile manufacturing unit has also been procured and installed at the factory. 2. Kunduz Chinaworks Another factory under the joint ownership of the Baghlan Cotton Union Company and the Marobini Company of Japan has already been completed. This factory, producing 5,000 pieces per day, was inaugurated in 1958. THE KANDAHAR INDUSTRIAL ZONE With the co-operation of the I.C.A. a project has been undertaken in the vicinity of Kandahar for the establishment of several small factories within a zone. Technical problems like the supply of electricity, water, essential services, security and facilities for workers would be a joint responsibility for all the factories. This group will comprise the following factories:— Cigarette - manufacturing, flax cord manufacture, vegetable oil production, The China Factory of Kunduz, which was established with the joint capital of the Kunduz Cotton Union Company and the Marobini Company of Japan 57