'Government paying full attention to development of agriculture, livestock sectors'

Punjab Minister for Agriculture and Forests, Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh has said that the provincial government is paying full attention on promotion of agriculture, livestock and forests so as to meet the food requirements of the province. The government is spending billions of rupees on research to ensure progress in all these three sectors, Aulakh said, while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of an international conference on 'Shisham' trees started here on Thursday.
The workshop is being organised by the Federal Ministry of Environment, Punjab Forests department and others. The workshop is being participated by the experts from South Asia to discuss the 'quick decline' disease in shisham tree and look for ways to prevent them from this problem.
Provincial Minister for forests speaking on this occasion said that Shisham was considered one of the expensive tree in the world. He said a large number of these trees were damaged due to the quick decline diseases and if it was not controlled at the earliest then these trees might extinct from this region. He said that research was being carried out in Faisalabad and assured that the government would try to consult the research being carried out in other countries for preventing Shisham from this disease.
The Minister said that five percent of the total area of Pakistan was under forests, which was not only providing expensive wood for furniture and other purposes but also meeting the fuel needs. He alleged that no attention was given in the past on forests due to which, country was facing severe hardships. He said that wood pilferage law was enforced in 1927 under which fine was only Rs 500 and other nominal punishments. Now this act was being amended which, he hoped, would ensure visible decline in wood pilferage incidents.
Malik Ahmad Ali Aulakh further stated that spring tree plantation campaign was being carried out on a fast pace and around 20 million saplings would be planted under this drive. He said that officers of forests and livestock departments had been directed to create awareness amongst the people about importance of tree plantation by visiting them at union council level.
He said that maximum tree plantation would ensure an environment pollution free atmosphere for our coming generation. The Minister said that special teams had been constituted to make the spring tree plantation a success. He said that district forest officer would be responsible for take care of plants. He also appealed to the representatives of NGOs and private institutions to take part in tree plantation with full zeal.