The Baghlan Sugar Factory (BSF) was established in 1938 by the Kingdom of Afghanistan. It was built some 250 kilometres northwest of Kabul in Baghlan Province, an area which was considered to be suitable for sugar beet production. The factory started production in 1940. Sugar was mainly produced from sugar beet, the failure of a wheat harvest in 1946 however forced the government to allow farmers to grow wheat instead of sugar beet, and the factory had to close down. It changed ownership in 1976, when the socialist government of Afghanistan nationalized BSF. Sugar production was resumed in 1978. Plans to expand sugar production and to build a new plant, adjacent to the old factory, came to a standstill in 1979. Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviet Union and farmers left their fields to join the Mujahedeen and fight the Russians. While some of the original machinery was maintained over the years by factory staff, most was lost or damaged during the civil war. The factory, renamed New Baghlan Sugar Company (NBSC), recommenced sugar production in 2006. It was re-established through contributions from the Government of Afghanistan, two German and four national stakeholders. On 06. November 2007 a bomb exploded at the factory, while a delegation of parliamentarians was visiting, killing at least 75 people, including several children. There was no claim of responsibility, but the Taliban did conduct about 120 suicide attacks in 2007 and were blamed. Due to a lack of sugar beet production the factory ceased operations again in 2018 and remains closed.