South Punjab Forest Company (SPFC) in collaboration with Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Sarhad Chamber of Commerce & Industry organized pre-bid meetings/seminars to sensitize prospective investors regarding the forestry opportunity by the Government of Punjab. The pre-bid meeting aimed for addressing any queries of the investors and incorporating their suggestions in the bidding proposal.
Hafiz Muhammad Awais, Director (Projects &Operations), SPFC, delivered a presentation on the salient features of the investment opportunities in forestry sector in South Punjab by SPFC. According to him, 'SPFC is offering 99,077 acres for forestation and range management to investors for a period of 15 years. This initiative will not just benefit the local economy by creating over 15,000 jobs but also sustain the wood-based industry and contribute to reducing logging pressure on the natural forests of Pakistan.
Hafiz Muhammad Awais also referred to a recent study by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that only 1.9% of Pakistan's area is covered with forests, thus highlighting the need to promote sustainable forestry investments by investing with SPFC. He urged the investors to invest in the opportunity offered by the Government of Punjab and that the deadline for submission of proposals is September 15, 2017. The recommendations of the investors will be accommodated in the bidding proposal to make the opportunity economically and environmentally viable for investors, said a spokesperson of the Company here on Saturday.
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. SPFC aims to achieve SDGs Goal 15 'Life on land', which focuses on managing forests sustainability, restoring degraded lands and combating desertification etc.