Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has on Sunday said that over 1 million saplings have been planted in the city during the past two years under the Prime Minister’s Ten Billion Tree Tsunami Programme.
In a statement today, Usman Buzdar said that the PTI-led government was trying to give the new generation a neat and clean environment. The tree plantation drive will help control smog in the province, he maintained.
He said that the PTI government has taken several measures for public welfare during the last two and half years. The government has ended the tradition of misuse of national resources and reduced official expenses considerably by taking austerity measures, the chief minister added.
Earlier on February 17, Prime Minister Imran Khan had launched the 2021 spring tree plantation drive during a ceremony after planting a sapling in Islamabad.
Under the Billion Tree Tsunami Honey Project, one million hectares of Pakistan’s forests will produce seven types of honey.
It was reported that the production of honey will increase from 12,000 metric tons to 70,000 metric tons. Pakistan will be able to export honey worth Rs45 billion annually to different countries. Furthermore, the Billion Tree project will create job opportunities for 70,000 to 80,000 people.
It is pertinent to mention here that in July 2020, World Economic Forum (WEF) in its report said that Honey production in Pakistan is on the rise as beekeepers reap a dividend from the government’s program to expand forests. It said that 3.5 million trees were planted on 6,000 acres (2,428 hectares) in Changa Manga.
As per the report the amount of honey harvested by beekeepers in the 12,500-acre forest almost doubled from 725 kg (1,600 pounds) in the fiscal year 2018-2019 to about 1,300 kg in 2019-2020.
