“After a break of 20 years, Afghanistan's first cement factory is once more clanking noisily in the countryside near Kabul as crushed-up limestone rocks rattle along a battered conveyor belt to the newly restored kiln. In an area desperately short of industry and jobs, workers hope the relaunch of the plant, built by Czech engineers in 1957 and shut by the Taliban in 1995, heralds the revival of an industry shattered by decades of war and destruction. “By selling our products and improving the factory's production, we can avoid having our young generation go abroad”, said Amir Mohammad. “If there are job possibilities, they can stay with their families and look after their children”. But the outdated state-owned plant 75 km (47 miles) outside Kabul also shows how far there is to go before that promise can be achieved and there are serious questions whether the plant has a viable future unless it is thoroughly modernized. Jabal Saraj, which now employs 150 workers, is a small factory with daily capacity of 100 tonnes and equipment that is at least 40 years out of date, the U.S. Geological Survey said in a 2011 report.

Afghanistan's only other major cement manufacturer, the Ghori cement plant, has daily capacity of more than 1,000 tonnes, but domestic industry is dwarfed by the millions of tonnes of imports from neighbors, including Pakistan and Iran. That fierce competition makes it tough to find domestically produced cement in Kabul's main wholesale markets, even despite the fact that domestic cement's bulk and relatively low cost should penalize foreign cement, trucked in hundreds of miles. “We have only Pakistani cement”, said trader Ershad Shinwari. “Afghan-made cement is not coming to us”. Demand for building materials has fallen sharply since international forces left in 2014 but the market has not collapsed and director Mohammadi hopes for domestic growth. “There is huge demand for cement in Afghanistan”, he said. “We've got the factory working, so it will give investors a chance”. For the moment, however, Jabal Saraj relies on government subsidy to survive. The economics may be tough, but it is people nearby who are mainly looking for work. “We ask the other countries to help this factory and provide new machinery to replace the old machines”, said plant worker Wazir Mohammad. “It will be very useful for our people as long as there is poverty in Afghanistan and everyone suffers insecurity”. – Mirwais Harooni and James Mackenzie via Reuters



The Jabal Saraj cement factory is seen in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. In an area desperately short of industry and jobs, local workers hope that the relaunch of the plant in Jabal Saraj, built by Czech engineers in 1957 and closed down by the Taliban in 1995, can show that Afghanistan's shattered industry can climb back to its feet after decades of war and destruction. But the outdated state-owned plant some 75 kilometres outside Kabul also shows how far it has to go before that promise can be achieved and there are serious questions over whether it has a viable future unless a new, modern facility is built to replace it. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





A worker holds a cement sample in a laboratory at the Jabal Saraj cement factory in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





A man works at the Jabal Saraj cement factory in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





Khuda Daad, head of the laboratory of the Jabal Saraj cement factory, poses for a photograph at his lab in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan May 8, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





Fazil Haq, 50, an employee at the Jabal Saraj cement factory, poses for a photograph in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





A man works in a laboratory at the Jabal Saraj cement factory in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





Dadullah, a worker at the Jabal Saraj cement factory, poses for a photograph in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





Workers wait for lunch at the Jabal Saraj cement factory in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan May 8, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





A cook (C) prepares lunch to be distributed to workers at the Jabal Saraj cement factory in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan May 8, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





A worker takes a break at the Jabal Saraj cement factory in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





A worker poses for a photograph at the Jabal Saraj cement factory in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





A worker looks at an oven through a small hole at the Jabal Saraj cement factory in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





Workers break rocks at the Jabal Saraj cement factory in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





A worker at the Jabal Saraj cement factory poses for a photograph in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





Workers sign attendance sheets as they arrive for work at the Jabal Saraj cement factory in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





Mohammad Hakim Mohammadi, the general director of the Jabal Saraj cement factory, poses for a photograph in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan May 8, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





Men work at the Jabal Saraj cement factory in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





Abdul Salaam, an electrician at the Jabal Saraj cement factory, poses for a photograph in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan May 8, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





Sacks of cement lay at the Jabal Saraj cement factory in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





Dadullah, an employee at the Jabal Saraj cement factory, works at a plant in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)





Workers operate heavy machinery at the Jabal Saraj cement factory in Jabal Saraj, north of Kabul, Afghanistan April 19, 2016. (Photo by Ahmad Masood/Reuters)