BAGHDAD, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Ministry of Industry and Minerals revealed on Monday that it has been working under a three-stage plan to reopen 83 devastated factories, an official news agency said.

Murtadha al-Safi, spokesman of the ministry, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that the year-long first stage of the plan includes reopening 17 factories that were either devastated or abandoned by wars and chaos that engulfed the country after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

"The ministry has reopened 14 factories in seven months of the first stage across the country to produce different products, including cement and bricks, to participate in the country's reconstruction process," INA quoted al-Safi as saying.

Al-Safi said that the second stage will include the rehabilitation of more factories with the participation of the private sector, INA said.

The three-stage plan is aimed at rehabilitating all the 83 factories to provide job opportunities, it added.

Iraq seeks to exploit its industrial potential to boost the economy by reducing dependence on the export of crude oil, which accounts for over 90 percent of the country's revenues. Enditem

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