Efforts under way to plant 103 million saplings in 2021

The Punjab Forests Department is making all out efforts to achieve 103 million plantation target set for the plantation campaign 2021.

According to a spokesman of the department, all departments concerned were consistently endeavouring to achieve the target set for the plantation campaign 2021.

He informed that nearly 103 million saplings would be planted across the province during the current plantation campaign. He said over 85 million saplings worth Rs26 billion were planted during financial year 2019-20 under 10 billion tree tsunami plantation drive while the target of over 103 million saplings would be achieved during financial year 2020-21.

To a query, he informed that the forest department had planted 30 million saplings under current target till February 2021 while over 67 million saplings would also be planted during March to June period. To another query, he said over 244 nurseries of the Punjab Forests Department was set up to grow required stocks of the plants besides establishing 363 sale points to provide saplings to the citizens only at Rs2 subsidised rate.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2021.