Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) Friday demanded the government to enhance forest cover areas by planting trees to reduce volume of importing softwood in furniture sector which would help saving billions of rupees in the form of foreign exchange.
In his statement issued here today, PFC Chief Executive Mian Kashif Ashfaq said Pakistan is importing more than 75 percent of its total consumption of softwood which is used for door and window purpose, thanks to inefficiency and corruption of provincial departments, losing billions of rupees in the form of foreign exchange.
He said that only 25 percent need of the country is fulfilled from domestic production, as billions of rupees precious and high cost wood is being wasted just due to negligence and vested interest of the provincial forest departments. He said that wood products exports from Pakistan has been confined to wooden furniture, small amounts of stationery (registers, diaries, letters, etc.) and some shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) table and kitchen wear.
He said furniture is made by thousands of small-scale enterprises in Pakistan. Traditionally, furniture manufacture was considered under the village carpentry sub-sector. Now, however, new modern furniture factories have been established by the private sector in Gujarat, Jhang and Peshawar.
Nearly all wood used for furniture making is shisham (Dalbergia sissoo, 82 percent), with small quantities of deodar (Cedrus deodara), poplar (Populus deltoids), mulberry (Morus alba) and other species. The furniture makers themselves saw most wood. According to our data estimated urban consumption of wood for furniture at 5.9 m3 per 1000 population. In order to promote plantation at local level, he said the government should also start cash incentive programmes to forest communities for not cutting the trees which, he thinks, can result in efficient, cost effective and equitable conservation of forests as natural resources.
Mian Kashif said there is huge potential of investment opportunities in forestry sector in South Punjab and by promoting commercial forestry in the area, green jobs in rural areas will be created and logging pressure on existing forests will be reduced. He said in order to prevent cutting of the forests, alternative sources are encouraged to promote the use of energy and to inform people about the importance of the forestry.
He said that imported wood, even if it is brought from the US and Canada is cheaper by Rs 50 to Rs 100 despite import duties on it. He said that foreign wood is cheaper as they grow farmlands and cut it in a systematic way, which never caused deforestation. Lacking in technology, expertise, or even sufficient infrastructure, Pakistan's sawmills generate large amounts of wastage from its natural resources. This wastage is neither environmentally sustainable nor economically sustainable.
PFC Chief said in order to stop deforestation, punitive measures, and punishments were no longer an option. "We need to rethink preventive measures to halt deforestation and protect our natural resources rather striving to reverse it. We should not take for granted the ecosystem services and should conserve it for our benefits," he added.
Secretary PFC Aqul Sardar said that if government gives the status of industry to furniture sector, it can earn substantial foreign exchange and promote local handmade industry at international level by imparting training on modern lines to unskilled wood workers.
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