MULTAN, March 14th:Chief Executive Officer of South Punjab Forest Company (SPFC) Tahir Rasheed has invited investors to make ‘Forest-based investments which can lead to tremendous growth and create opportunities that are essential for competing in an interconnected world. To sensitize the potential investors about the business opportunities in the forestry sector,he briefed the member of Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) The briefing began with a welcome address by Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi President of MCCI, who thanked the participants and urged the business community to invest in the forestry sector for a sustainable future. According to him, ‘Sustainable forestry investments offer low risk with high returns. The sustainability farmed wood can be supplied to the national wood-based industry, which will subsequently reduce dependence on imported wood, eventually reducing the budget deficit.’It was followed by a presentation delivered by Tahir Rasheed, CEO, SPFC, on Investment Opportunities in Forestry Sector in South Punjab. He informed the participants about the eco-regions of Pakistan and quoted the 2015 study by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), according to which, Pakistan has a total area of 1,472,000 hectares (ha) and witnessing deforestation, at an alarming rate of 2.1 per cent from 1990 to 2015 on an average.According to Tahir Rasheed, ‘SPFC aims to afforest the 134,995 acres of allotted land in D.G. Khan and Bahawalpur Divisions, which 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."The presentation was followed by Q&A session. The MCCI members questioned if the SPFC land may face any threats from the timber mafia. It was responded by Tahir Rasheed, who fully assured that SPFC will ensure that the land is free from any encroachments and timber mafia.The briefing also aimed to incorporate the views of MCCI representatives to make the process inclusive, which can be incorporated in the upcoming feasibility study. Shahid Nasim Khokhar former President of MCCI gave the concluding remarks and hoped that the initiative will help to bring a green revolution in the province and contribute to the GDP. Tahir Rasheed also threw light on the SPFC which 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.Khurram Javed ,Secretary General of MCCI was also present there.
