Spring plantation campaign starts in KP
PESHAWAR, Feb 15 (APP): Spring plantation campaign has been started in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where about 164.841 million saplings of different species would be sown with the assistance of farmers, general public and forest department.
Shahidullah Khan, Secretary Environment, Forests and Wildlife, Shahidullah Khan inaugurated the spring plantation campaign by planting a sapling of olive tree at Bajaur tribal district. Chief Conservator North One, Conservator Merged Areas, Deputy Commissioner Bajaur and Conservator Wildlife were also present on the occasion.
Speaking on the occasion, the Secretary said forests play an important role in making the environment clean besides combating environmental pollution, desertification and climate change and urged people to actively participate in afforestation campaign by planting maximum saplings. He said PTI Govt flagship 10 Billion trees afforestation project has been extended to merged areas where its vast land would be utilized to achieve the set plantation target.
The Secretary said climate of merged areas especially of Bajaur was most suitable for olive plantation and concrete measures were being taken to promote olive farming in the district with assistance of agriculture department and district administration.
He said time was near when farmers of Bajaur would export edible oil to others province and oversees after fully tapping olive potential in the district. Spokesman of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Department told APP that an inclusive plan has been chalked out to plant over 164.841 million saplings out of which 114.349 million are ready for plantation for spring season in the province. About 164.841 million seedlings were raised in different departmental and private nurseries out of which 114.349 million are ready for plantation.
KP has been divided into three circles including central southern region-I Peshawar, northern forest region-II Abbottabad and Malakand forest region-III Swat where these saplings would be planted with the help of Government departments, farmers, NGOs, general public and forest department under an umbrella of 10 billion trees afforestation project (10BTAP). Central southern region-I Peshawar has been divided into southern forest circle and merged areas (erstwhile Fata) where 59,440,590 plants were raised out of which 39,608,880 were fit for plantation. In southern forest circle, as many as 19,269,239 plants raised out of which 11,833,694 were fit for plantation.
Similarly, 40,171,351 plants were raised in merged areas out of which 27,775,186 were ready for plantation. In northern forest region-II Abbottabad, as many as 61,626,025 plants were raised out of which 44,939,351 were fit for plantation to be achieved with help of local communities, farmers and general public. Giving breakup of the northern forest region-I Abbottabad, the official said 12,366,182 plants are ready for plantation out of total 15,846,059 in Lower Hazara forest circle, 9,916,270 fit plants out of 15,043,710 plants in Upper Hazara forest circle and 22,656,899 fit plants out of 30,736,256 raised plants in Watershed Management Circle respectively. In Malakand forest region-III Swat, as many as 43,773,927 plants were raised in departmental and private nurseries out of which 29,800,299 plants were ready for plantation.
Asked about last monsoon plantation, the official said 18.658 million saplings were planted during last moon season in the province with over 80pc survival rate. As many as 12,791,473 were planted in central southern region-I including 7,749,761 in southern forest circle and 5,041,712 in merged areas (erstwhile Fata) with 86percent survival rate respectively. Similarly, in northern forest region-II, as many as 4,067,859 saplings including 1,412,064 in Lower Hazara forest circle, 587,445 in Upper Hazara forest circle and 2,068,350 in watershed management circle were planted having 80pc survival rate. In Malakand forest region-III, the official said a total of 1,798,369 plants were planted during last monsoon including 1,190,919 in Malakand east forest circle and 607,450 in Malakand west forest circle respectively. As result of successful completion of first phase of BTAP (2014-17), he said total covered forest areas of KP was increased to record 27 percent in the province.
He said 27 percent areas of KP was now under forest cover against 20 percent recorded in 2013, showing a record seven percent increase during last seven years courtesy to BTAP. As per international practice, 25 percent areas should be under forestry cover and KP was the first province to surpass the said target. He said over 1.2 billion plants were raised in the first phase of BTAP and over 196 million saplings were planted under 10 BTAP during last two years in KP. The 10BTAP has been extended to merged areas to bring its vast unutilized land under forests cover.
He said land for massive plantation were identified in all seven tribal districts where man made plantation and afforestation through forest enclosures in hilly and inaccessible areas would be made to achieve the set target of additional one billion trees plantation under 10 BTAP in KP by 2023. Inspite of COVID-19, plantation targets were achieved in all forest circles.
Likewise, monitoring of BTAP’s plants were underway in the province under an inclusive mechanism put in place for monitoring of all plants across the province including merged tribal districts.
He said honey sector has achieved upward growth due to significant increase of bees’ flora plants courtesy to BTAP and his department would take a lead role in implementation of PM’s billion trees honey programme in KP.
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