Pakistan has a total area of 1472000 hectares under forest and deforestation was witnessed at an alarming rate of 2.1 percent from 1990 to 2015 on an average, said CEO of the South Punjab Forest Company (SPFC) Tahir Rashid while quoting the figure from a 2015 study conducted by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
Tahir Rashid was speaking at a seminar on 'Opportunities in Forestry sector in South Punjab'. The session was jointly organized by both, SPFC and the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) to sensitise the potential investors about opportunities in forestry sector.
The seminar began with a welcome address by President LCCI Abdul Basit who thanked the participants and urged the business community to invest in the forestry sector for a sustainable future. According to him, "Forest-based investments can lead to tremendous growth and create opportunities that are essential for competing in an interconnected world. The chamber will play its role in promoting this idea and advocate policy solutions that drive economic growth, spur innovation and create jobs."
In his presentation, Tahir Rasheed said that the company aims to afforest the 134995 acres of allotted land in DG Khan and Bahawalpur Civil Divisions that comes under Punjab Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries Department. 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 further informed that sustainable forestry investments offer low risk with high returns. The sustainably farmed wood can be supplied to the national wood-based industry which will subsequently reduce dependence on imported wood, eventually reducing the budget deficit.
Responding to questions raised by the LCCI members regarding any threat being faced by the SPC from timber mafia, Tahir Rasheed fully assured that the SPFC will ensure that the land is free from any encroachments and timber mafia.
The seminar also aimed to incorporate the views of LCCI representatives to make the process inclusive which can be incorporated in the upcoming feasibility study. Muhammad Nasir Hameed Khan, Vice President LCCI, in his concluding remarks hoped that the initiative will help bring a green revolution in the province and contribute to the GDP.
The SPFC is a Punjab government entity, established as a Public Sector Company under Section 42 of the Companies Ordinance, 1984. It aims to stimulate private sector investments alongside public money to reduce deforestation in Punjab and to combine forest conservation with sustainable economic development. The investment objective of the company is to encourage the investment in assets that can be established and managed on an environmentally and socially sustainable basis.
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