The Karbala investment authority has granted a licence to an Iraqi investor with a total cost of $3 million to produce eggs, the media spokesman for the authority told Zawya.

"The Karbala investment authority gave a licence to establish a $3 million poultry farm to an Iraqi investor who is working as a veterinarian," Raed Al-Asali told Aswat al-Iraq.

"The project will be implemented on a 9 donums of land in al-Hussiniya district, north of Karbala," he added, noting that the project will includes 100,000 chickens to produce 30 million eggs every year.

Karbala, with an estimated population of 572,300 people in 2003, is the capital of the province and is considered to be one of Shiite Muslims' holiest cities.

The city, 110 km south of Baghdad, is one of Iraq's wealthiest, profiting both from religious visitors and agricultural produce, especially dates.

It is made up of two districts, 'Old Karbala', the religious centre, and 'New Karbala', the residential district containing Islamic schools and government buildings.

At the centre of the old city is Masjid al-Hussein, the tomb of Hussein Ibn Ali, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad by his daughter Fatima al-Zahraa and Ali Ibn Abi Taleb, added Zawya.