Palestine, Japan Launch Phase II of Jericho Agro Industrial Park

Jericho, MINA – Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah, together with the Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, laid the cornerstone of the second phase of the Jericho Agro Industrial Park in Jericho on Tuesday, WAFA reported.

Speaking during the opening ceremony, Hamdallah expressed gratitude to the Japanese Government supporting the Palestinian people in building their economy, including funding the rehabilitation of the road that links the industrial Park with al-Karama Bridge, on Palestine’s border with Jordan.

He pointed out that the start of the second phase of JAIP is a great achievement where new investment opportunities will be created for new investors, and where thousands of jobs will be created for the unemployed and new graduates.

Hamdallah described the industrial park as one of the government’s strategic components in sustaining economic development in Palestine.

The Jericho Agro-Industrial Park, known widely as JAIP, is worth more than $1 million; which includes infrastructure, financial support to the start-up tenants and building capacity for PIEFZ institution direct investment by developer and tenants.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono expressed his admiration for the successive developments which have been accomplished in JAIP so far considering it as the main core project of the generous initiative “The Corridor of Peace and Prosperity” of the ex-Prime Minister of Japan Junichiro Koizumi.

The second phase of JAIP will be executed an area of 100 dunums including 50,000 square meters for factories, approximately 8000 square meters for facilities of industrial services and 17,000 square meters for logistic services.

The Japanese Government is funding qualifying the site and the land settlement of the project through the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) with the implementation of the Ministry of Public Works and PEIFZA.

The second stage of the industrial park will provide about 1,700 direct industrial jobs and 5,000 indirect jobs.

To date, the government of Japan has invested over $35,000,000 worth of assistance in JAIP. This amount has been allotted to the development of the Agro Industrial Park, rehabilitation of Jericho Governmental Hospital, renovation and rehabilitation of Hisham Palace, rehabilitation of schools and public transportation utility for the northern village, and rehabilitation of wells in Jericho Governorate.

He also confirmed that the Japanese government will continue its support to JAIP in order to promote the development of sustainable economy. (TRS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)