LAHORE - A delegation of Overseas Pakistanis Commission (OPC) headed by Afzaal Bhatti, Commissioner, OPC, visited the office of South Punjab Forest Company (SPFC) yesterday.
SPFC CEO Tahir Rasheed briefed the delegation about the investment opportunities in the forestry sector and explained that the meeting aimed to target investments from expatriates through the OPC platform.
“The initiative to promote sustainable forestry investments is imperative for Pakistan’s transformation; therefore OPC will share this with overseas Pakistanis. The initiative will help to give a boom to the allied industries,” said the OPC commissioner.
The SPFC CEO also discussed the possibility of having a 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.
OPC Director General Syed Javed Iqbal 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 organizations to collaborate for a seminar, to sensitise the overseas Pakistanis and potential investors about the forestry initiative of the Punjab government.
According to CEO, “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.”