PESHAWAR: After the ‘Billion Tree Tsunami’ drive the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has planned plantation of fruit producing plants along the national and provincial highways and barren areas of the province.

The “Fruit for All” campaign would be launched very soon aimed at making the province self sufficient in fruit production, said an official statement on Tuesday. The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Governor Shah Farman.

The governor said that the campaign was aimed at bringing barren land under fruit cultivation and ensure availability of fruit for each andevery person of the province. He said that as the larger portion of land in KP would become fruit producing, the best quality fruits could also be exported.

He said the campaign would be launched in collaboration with National Bank of Pakistan initially in the surrounding areas of the provincial capital including Hayatabad and Regi Lalma Town and extended to other areas besides using the space available on the Motorway.

Provincial Ministers, Taimur Khan Jhagra, Syed Ishtiaq Urmar, Muhibuulah Khan, representatives of National Bank of Pakistan and National Highway Authority were also present in meeting. The governor directed to constitute a technical committee comprising the representatives of forest and agriculture departments and NHA to finalise the types of fruits to be planted and identify suitable plantation sites.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2018