Basra plant boosts local pipe production, cutting import costs by 80%

BASRA — Iraq’s Al-Narjis Plant in Basra has launched large-scale production of GRB and UPVC pipes for infrastructure projects nationwide, a move expected to reduce import costs by up to 80% and strengthen the country’s industrial base.

Emad Tawfiq, director general of the Sewerage Department at the Ministry of Construction and Housing, said, “We visited Al-Narjis Plant for the production of GRB, polyethylene, and UPVC pipes. These pipes are used in infrastructure projects implemented by the Ministry across all governorates, and we are pleased to see such a national company operating at this level of quality.”

Tawfiq said producing pipes locally “saves one-third of import costs, increases company profits, provides job opportunities, and preserves foreign currency.” He added that he hopes Iraqi firms will soon begin producing “resin materials used in sewer and fiberglass pipes, which are currently imported.”

Hatim Al-Daraji, director of Al-Narjis Company, said the Basra projects “have progressed rapidly in producing materials that were previously imported and took a long time to reach the country. This will make implementing sewer projects faster.” He said the company has started meeting the needs of governorates “from Mosul to Basra with locally made products supported directly and indirectly by the federal and local governments.”

Al-Daraji said Basra’s local government “allocated land and facilitated procedures to establish this national industry,” adding that “Basra is no longer just an economic city but an industrial one producing essential materials.” He said imports have already fallen by 80%, and production will soon rely entirely on local output “with competitive prices and high quality.”

Khazaal Al-Fartousi, director of Basra Sewerage, said the locally produced pipes “have made completing projects easier and faster while reducing import costs,” noting that they are “manufactured according to international standards and specifications.”