After an absence of more than 15 years, Coca-Cola will return to Afghanistan this week when it opens a £14.4m bottling plant in a landmark private investment for the war-torn country. The gleaming plant on the outskirts of Kabul stands in contrast to the unpaved road & mud-brick shanties that surround it. With the security situation in the country still precarious, officials at the plant have kept a low profile. There has been no local media coverage so far & no trademark sign is visible on the factory. However, a fleet of red trucks bearing the company's red & white logo stands parked outside ready to ferry crates of bottles to the city. Production begins soon & locally produced bottles of Coke, Sprite & Fanta will hit Kabul's streets within the month. "We are very optimistic about Afghanistan. We are looking at huge growth because of the affordability," says Ali-us-Sajjad Khan, chief operating officer of the Habib Gulzar Non-Alcoholic Beverages Firm, the franchisee of Coca-Cola. "We will employ 600 people full-time at the height of summer but the plant could generate another 8,000 jobs in allied industries making cardboard, bottle crowns and other materials." All investment in the plant was raised by the Afghan company, which is backed by the Dubai-based trading group Habib Gulzar International. Coca Cola provide expertise and training. A can of Coke now, imported from Pakistan, costs 18 Afghani (40 US cents) but a locally produced bottle will cost only six Afghani if the customer recycles the glass bottle. "The refreshing return of Coca-Cola to Afghanistan" reads the advertising slogan that will be used to relaunch the US brand in the country. Coke had been a popular drink in Afghanistan in the 1970s before the war began. "This is an American icon, so we have tried to push the local franchise as much as possible," says Mr Khan. "We don't want to be left behind and the cost of entry in five years time will be much higher
