'Billion Tree Honey' initiative launched: PM highlights criticality of growth in exports

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday that growth in exports was critical for the country to become prosperous as increase in exports would lessen the pressure on foreign exchange reserves.

Speaking at the formal launch of Billion Tree Honey Initiative, the prime minister said that there were 12 climate zones, which meant various species and growth of plants.

The prime minister said this new initiative of use of forest for honey production would provide employment to the people, and the government would help them in terms of quality control, thereby, enabling the product to be exported.

Pakistan's exports of honey are very low in the world and there is a need to create awareness among the people about its benefit.

The prime minister said that Kundian was once a very big forest during the British rule and now it would again be planted with honey trees.

The prime minister said that quality control was important for exports, and the government would do everything to help in quality control.

We have to grow the plants of olives as country spends $3 billion on import of edible oil, putting pressure on foreign exchange and depreciating exchange rate.

Now in ten billion trees campaign, harvest of olives would solve the issue of import of edible oil. We will also focus on olive oil and avocados plantation in plantation of ten billion trees in the country.

The plantation of trees would save the environment and increase exports and unless Pakistan's exports increase the country would never become a rich country, and on top of that, launch of billion tree honey initiative would provide employment to the local people.

The prime minister regretted that "we have done very badly in regards to the environment" and air has been polluted with negative impact on the health. Pakistan is at number five, in the list of countries, which would be negatively affected by the climate change and planning needs to done to leave a good country for the coming generation.

There is dire need to correct environment degradation, and for the first time in the history of the country any government has decided to plant one billion trees, and the billion tree tsunami was verified by foreign organisation.

The prime minister said that a great challenge confronting the country was to take care of the environment by improving forest cover.

He said that rivers and underground water were also being polluted.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020