PESHAWAR   -   Amid surge in wood prices and persistent challenges, Maqsood Ahmad, a 45-year-old furniture artisan, remained deeply engrossed in his craftsmanship after demand for his creations increased ahead of the winter wedding season, keeping him busier than ever.

In his modest two-room shop along with a big hall with a saw machine in WAPDA Town, Nowshera, Maqsood is seen urging his labourers to expedite the production of various furniture items, including double beds, sofa, tables, and cupboards, to meet the numerous orders placed for upcoming nuptials.

“I inherited this art from my father, who wished for me to become a civil officer,” Maqsood shared with APP. “Despite applying for various government positions in the past to fulfil his father’s dream, I faced setbacks due to insufficient professional experience and jumped into it after the illness of my Baba Jan,” he told APP.

The unique furniture designs, ranging from Italian to Mughal and retro styles, are particularly sought after in the region. While Malakand and Swat also produce high-quality furniture, products manufactured in Peshawar are renowned for their exceptional quality and durability, he said.

“The tradition of our furniture craftsmanship has reached the third generation, as my son now joins me after school,” Maqsood noted, expressing his willingness to mentor young individuals interested in pursuing this profession.

Challenges such as outdated machinery, power outages, and a shortage of preferred woods like Sheesham, Doodar, and Chirpine have negatively impacted the growth of the furniture and handicraft industry in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, he said and added demands of the locally-made furniture remained strong, both within the province and internationally.

He added that around 50,000 people are directly involved in furniture manufacturing in areas like Tehkal, Shero Jhangi, and Nauthia in Peshawar and these artisans are hoping for financial support and the lifting of the ban on timber transportation from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.

“Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has carried a huge market for furniture due to an abundance of varieties of wood especially available in its north areas and its close proximately with Afghanistan and Central Asian Republics (CARs),” said Gulzar Rehman, former Conservator of Forests KP while talking to APP.

He said that KP’s economic woes could be addressed by using abundance of the already cut timber especially in Lower and Upper Kohistan as well as Palas Kolai districts for furniture.

“The home furniture and handicrafts industry of KP especially of Peshawar, Mardan and Swat are capable enough of producing high-quality products with their clientele in Afghanistan, GULF, CARs, Germany, Spain, Italy, United States and Arab Countries, adding that time has come that existing problems especially load shedding and ban on transportation of timber in KP may be addressed on priority basis imperative for bolstering furniture industry in the country.

“The rapid population growth owing to poverty and unemployment have started exerted an extra pressure on forest resources, especially in Kohistan, Chitral, Battagram, Dir, Shangla, and Swat and Gilgit-Baltistan, which are  also affecting growth of furniture’s industry.”

Referring to 2015 National Forest Policy, he said our forest cover has dwindled to approximately five percent, with an annual loss of around 27,000 hectares, adding deforestation is predominantly occurring in private and community-owned forests, particularly in KP and Gilgit-Baltistan due to high population growth.

Adversely impacted furniture industry and agriculture yield besides quantity of water at outlets due to fast melting of glaciers in Chitral and Swat due to rising temperature and deforestation, the national forest policy revealed that axing of trees in watershed areas can trigger land degradation, loss of biodiversity and marine life besides making negative effects on ecological balances, wildlife and aquatic resources.

In riparian and coastal areas, especially in KP, Sindh, and Balochistan, deforestation amplifies floods and facilitates seawater intrusion thus increasing chances of inflicting economic losses to the government kitty as evidenced by the devastating 2010 and 2022 floods. The flash flood had razed to ground several expensive hotels and furniture showrooms illegally constructed in the river Swat’s beds in 2022.

Gulzar Rehman while comparing the deforestation rate of Pakistan with the world said that every year around 10 million hectares of forest were deforested – equal to the area of Portugal in the world. Around half of this high deforestation is counterbalanced by the re-growing of forests, which means that overall around five million hectares of green gold are lost per year in the globe.

The unchecked deforestration and unnecessary tree logging at wood stalls besides overpopulation are one of the major causes of downfall of furniture industry in KP, he said that our population was only 37 million in 1947 soared to a record 223 million in 2022, 241 million in 2023 and if it continued growing with such high pace it is expected to touch 260.3 million in 2030 and 330.8 million by 2050, resulting vanishing of the green gold, and bees population.

In such a grim scenario, he said the challenges of food security would be further aggravated for highly populated countries like Pakistan. He said about 60 percent of forests were being used as firewood in the country, 25 percent for furniture, and 15 percent of trees are being lost due to urbanization and community-driven demands.

Zahid Shinwari, former President Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that KP’s furniture has highest demands overseas especially in GULF, Afghanistan and EUs and we need to give special incentives to it besides strengthening its existing infrastructure for economic gains.

Common Facilitation, Manufacturing and Training Centre (CFMTC), spanning 20 kanals in Hayatabad, Peshawar with facilities of modern machinery, wood bank, wood seasoning units, and a display centre needs to be strengthened.

He demanded granting formal industrial status to the furniture sector and taking solid steps to resolve its problems, especially provision of an easy access to concerned authorities and commercial banks, encouraging SMEs for starting a furniture business and expanding the ongoing business through loan schemes for installation of solar systems in the province.

The KP Forest Department spokesman said that under the KP Forest Ordinance 2002, the Forest Force had been raised in KP with powers like the police to protect forest, check furniture shops, seize saw machines and conduct operations against timber mafia.

KP forest force has been equipped with necessary weaponry, ammunition, vehicles, and a communication system with the power to shoot offenders and timber mafia in self-defence in case of violation of forest laws.

The forest officers can arrest, detain, or take an accused into custody besides checking any vehicle, boat, railway wagon, or pack animal and seize the smuggled timber.

The spokesman suggested special forest courts for speedy trial of the accused, an increase in lockups, a modern wireless system, and mobility vehicles imperative to curb timber smuggling in KP.