A delegation of Overseas Pakistanis Commission (OPC) Punjab visited the office of the South Punjab Forest Company (SPFC) to look in to the investment opportunities in Punjab's forestry sector. Afzaal Bhatti, Commissioner, OPC lead the delegation which was briefed by the SPFC officials.
The meeting was also attended by Syed Javed Iqbal Bokhari, Director General, OPC; and Asad Naeem, Director Administration, OPC. Tahir Rasheed, CEO, SPFC, briefed the OPC team about the investment opportunities in the forestry sector and explained that the meeting aimed at targeting foreign investments through the OPC platform, as Pakistani expatriates are interested to invest back in Pakistan.
Afzaal Bhatti appreciated the Chief Minister Punjab for taking a lead in this initiative. 'The initiative to promote sustainable forestry investments is imperative for Pakistan's transformation therefore OPC will share this with overseas Pakistanis. Furthermore, the initiative will help to give a boom to the allied industries. Even within Pakistan, people would be interested to invest in it,' said Commissioner OPC.
CEO, SPFC, also discussed the possibility of having an MoU with OPC that can help to streamline investments and boost investors' confidence. Afzaal Bhatti welcomed the idea, as it will help to promote green investments and create jobs in the province.
Syed Javed Iqbal Bokhari, Director General, OPC, suggested a certain percentage of SPFC's land to be specifically allocated to overseas Pakistanis, a move that will help to boost their confidence. Also, he urged both the organisations to collaborate for a seminar, to sensitise the overseas Pakistanis and potential investors about the forestry initiative of the Government of Punjab.
According to Tahir Rasheed, CEO, SPFC, 'Our feasibility study is expected to be completed by March 2017, after which we'll share at least 10-12 business plans with the investors, and technical support will also be provided to promote forestry investments. Furthermore, the initiative will contribute to reducing the balance of payments by narrowing the demand for imported wood in Pakistan, and also contribute to the environment, as logging pressure on natural forests will be reduced.'
Comments
Comments are closed for this article.