Iran Wood & Paper Industries (Choka)

Iran Wood & Paper Industries (CHOUKA)

Iran Wood & Paper Industries (CHOUKA) Integrated Pulp and Paper Manufacturer. Iran Wood and Paper Industries Complex (Chouka) was established in 1974 with participation of The Industrial Development & Renovation Organization of Iran (60% stake) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (40% stake) at kilometer 34 in the road from Bandar-e Anzali to Astara and its executive and structural operations were completed in 1979. Considering the concurrency of the complex setup with the climax of the Islamic Revolution, the complex was inaugurated in October 1979 during a dramatic launching; but after a few days, the work stopped. Based on the contract concluded, the construction company (Staedtler Hertz Corporation, Canada) should have left the factory after completing the factory with a combination of Iranian and foreign management and staff and delivering the plant to its nominal capacity and training of personnel and turned it over to the Iranian specialists. However, the foreign personnel left Iran without completing and delivery of the plant and did not fulfill their commitments. Thus, the factory production was virtually in full stagnation until 1983. Since 1983, planned efforts began to establish the plant and continue its production, and with the delivery of the plant to the National Iranian Industrial Organization in 1986, these efforts succeeded, and since that year on, the factory situation got better every year than it did before. In 1987, the necessary decisions were taken to separate the forestry and industrial sectors under independent management and the former company was divided into three independent companies of Asalem Wood Industries Co., Iran Wood and Paper Industries Co. (under supervision by National Industries Organization), and Shafarood Forest Company (under supervision by Ministry of Agriculture). As a result, the mission of conservation, exploitation, and restoration of forest and production of wood products (traverses, herbage, boards (lumbers), etc.) was excluded from the scope of Chouka Co. activities.

After the change of ownership from a special joint-stock company to a public company in 1996, according to an act approved by the Cabinet, the shares of all companies affiliated to the National Iranian Industrial Organization, including Chouka were transferred Iran Social Security Organization (47%), Iran Civil Servants Pension Organization (47%), and Astan Quds Razavi Organization (6%). At present, all the shares of Social Security Organization and Astan Quds Razavi Organization are owned by TAPPICO Investment Company.