Cement Industry In Palestine
Palestine is considered as one of the most important Middle East countries. This can be said because of many reasons like presence of agriculture sector, scarves industry and scenic beauty. All these contribute significantly to tourism in the Middle East. However, from last few years the Palestine is facing rapid downgrade in the economy and business because of the Israel acquisition of water and land resources near the West bank and Gaza. Sadly, despite the options available, Palestine as a nation has become weaker due scarcity of water and land.
Today, Cement industry is one of the important sectors which are contributing towards the economy of the country. Apart from this, there are different sectors in different parts of the country like glass industry in Herbon, black pottery in Gaza and weaving industry in Majdal. During the British rule in Palestine the large scale industry had expanded. However, according to the modern standards, it is assumed that at the time of mandate there were no large scale industries in the Palestine. The industry's size at that time was small and most of them were family crafts. During the early 20th century the major industries were extracting vegetable oil.
The reason why cement industry has witnessed such a huge boom is because of its high demand by the construction sector. In such a scenario, it becomes a very critical commodity and the local companies are expected to provide the same. Latest figures show that the demand of cement in Palestine is estimated to be approximately 1.6 to 1.7 million tons. This is ample enough for the cement industry to grow. It is estimated that the demand for cement is growing at the rate of 11 percent every year.
When Israel occupied the West bank and Gaza in the year of 1967, the growth of cement industry was limited. In those times, total production of the cement was approximately 600 tons (all from West bank). With the high speed of construction being undertaken, the cement industry is expected to play a significant part in helping the economy become stronger. If we go a bit more into it, we realize that stone cutting industry has a role to play too which is running parallel to cement industry.
Ironically, the acquisition of the West bank and Gaza by the Israel has forced the Palestine to import the cement from other nations. Had it not been so, Palestine would have been the largest producer of cement. Everyone knows that if construction flourishes in a country, the whole nation get benefits from it. The cement industry provides livelihood to a good percentage of the population and apart from playing an important role in the economy development. Increasing demand for the cement has caused more people to move towards this industry. Need for skilled labor has led to competition between construction agencies. This has profited the workers in the form of higher pays and better perks. If things go as planned, Palestine might soon become one the favorite holiday destinations for tourists from across the globe.