Governmental and Industrial Tour in South Damascus: Practical Steps to Frame Industrial Clusters and Settle Violations

To the rhythm of production lines and the accelerating pace of recovery, a joint governmental and industrial delegation from the Ministry of Economy and Industry conducted an inspection tour of several major manufacturing facilities across the food, textile, and engineering sectors in South Damascus, Deir Ali, and Al-Khiyara. This tour marked a pivotal milestone, reflecting the government's commitment to listening directly to industrialists' concerns. It will be followed by monthly tours covering the largest possible number of industrial facilities in Damascus and its countryside, alongside practical steps to frame industrial clusters and provide a favorable environment for their sustainability.

 

The delegation included Eng. Basel Abdul Hanan, Deputy Minister of Economy and Industry; Mr. Mohammad Yassin Hourieh, Assistant Minister of Economy and Industry for Industrial Affairs; accompanied by Eng. Mohammad Ayman Al-Mawlawi, Chairman of the Damascus and Countryside Chamber of Industry, along with several members of the chamber's board of directors.

 

The delegation visited several facilities across various industrial sectors, including: the "Viscosa" facility for biscuits, cakes, and chocolate; the Al-Hamwi food facility ("Ben Al-Hamwi"); "Lorenzo" for socks and cotton underwear; "Al-Subai'i" facilities for carpets and food snacks; "Tabreek" for fabric printing, dyeing, and knitting ("Al-Tabba'"); leading up to "Siral" Aluminum Company.

 

The field tour featured intensive discussions focused on designating these sites as official industrial zones, settling violations, granting administrative permits, and accelerating the settlement of building violations for facilities that have held industrial licenses since 2008. Discussions also highlighted the need to provide reassurance to industrialists, ensure business continuity, and implement essential services such as sewage systems, power grids, and lighting within financial settlement frameworks to improve basic infrastructure in industrial zones. Furthermore, the discussions stressed collecting financial contributions for service development based on each facility's actual surface area, establishing joint committees with municipalities and relevant authorities to begin field execution of service projects, framing industrial clusters, issuing urban master plans for them, incorporating existing industrial areas, and enacting legislation that ensures their long-term stability.

 

Following the tour, Assistant Minister Mohammad Yassin Hourieh emphasized that resolving the organizational status of these industrial clusters—which have existed for over a quarter of a century—is a top priority for the ministry. Mr. Hourieh explained that the tour aimed to listen directly to industrialists' concerns and address operational requirements, noting that current challenges are solvable. He pointed out ongoing efforts to officially designate these areas as industrial zones, granting existing facilities opportunities for expansion, licensing, and development. The Assistant Minister concluded his statement by affirming the continuation of field tours across various industrial areas to provide the necessary support to the industrial sector and enable its developmental role.

 

For his part, Eng. Mohammad Ayman Al-Mawlawi praised the outcomes of the field inspection, confirming that the tour included advanced factories across multiple sectors—including food, engineering, and textiles—and commending industrialists for their remarkable mark on product quality and production line organization. The Chamber Chairman highlighted that industrialists' key demands center on granting permanent licenses to existing industrial clusters in the southern region, contributing to the distribution of economic activity and providing job opportunities for local workers. Mr. Al-Mawlawi stressed that national industry has overcome a significant portion of past challenges and is currently experiencing a strong wave of recovery and a continuous return of industrialists to reopen their businesses

 

26/8/2026