Herat: A pharmaceutical plant established months ago in western Afghanistan's Herat province produces over two dozen types of medicine and provides jobs to youths majoring in pharmacy, the plant's managing director Firoz Ahmad Usmani said Monday. Constructed at a cost of 15 million U.S. dollars, the plant produces 27 kinds of medicine for the local market to reduce dependency on imported medicine, the official said.

According to Namibia Press Agency, more than a hundred people, mostly pharmacists, have been employed in the plant. This initiative is part of efforts to strengthen the local pharmaceutical industry and provide employment opportunities to qualified youths in the region.

Currently, more than 500 types of medicine are produced domestically in post-war Afghanistan, but some types are still imported illegally, according to reports. The establishment of such plants is seen as a significant step towards self-sufficiency in the pharmaceutical sector, aiming to curb illegal imports and enhance local production capabilities.