Located in Dashtestan, the factory offers 3,000 tons per day of cement. Minister of Industries and Mines Eshaq Jahangiri was also present at the inaugural. "Dashtestan Cement Production Plant is one of the most important projects implemented in line with such a policy, given that 80 percent of its design and engineering process has been accomplished by Iranian experts," he told reporters. Turning to the country's self-sufficiency in several industrial fields, he said that facilitating investment of tens of billions of rials in oil, gas and petrochemical industries as well as billions of dollars in production of cell phone and development of metal industries marks the attraction of private sector to them. Referring to the increase in national cement production by 6.5 million tons since 1997, he said that according to the plans, the figure is predicted to rise to 70 million tons annually in 2011. "Likewise, Iran's mining industries would manage to supply the demands of Asian and European markets. "Low-cost energy, availability of raw materials and potentials of Iranian specialists are among the assets of the country's mining industries. This is one of the most brilliant points in the economic dossier of President Khatami's administration," he added. Some 690 billion rials plus 20 million dollars has been invested in the project and its daily nominal production capacity is 3,000 tons.