Furniture Sector: PFC demands enhancing forest cover

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Furniture Council (PFC) demanded on Friday that the government enhance forest cover areas by planting trees to reduce volume of importing softwood in furniture sector, which would help save billions of rupees in the form of foreign exchange. Speaking on the issue, PFC Chief Executive Mian Kashif Ashfaq said Pakistan is importing more than 75% of its total consumption of softwood, which is used for door and window purpose, owing to inefficiency and corruption of provincial departments, losing billions of rupees in the form of foreign exchange. He said only 25% demand of the country is fulfilled from domestic production, as billions of rupees worth wood is being wasted due to negligence and vested interest of the provincial forest departments. He said furniture is made by thousands of small-scale enterprises in Pakistan. The official was of the view that there is huge potential of investment opportunities in forestry sector in south Punjab.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 16^th, 2018.

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