PESHAWAR, Aug 1: The NWFP forest department will plant 15.601 million saplings during the monsoon tree plantation campaign, 2005, in the province. “The department has sent 15.601 million saplings to all the stakeholders, including government departments, defence forces, farmers, non-government organizations, educational institutions and people in watershed areas of the province,” Peshawar Divisional Forest Officer Dr Nasim Javed told APP on Monday.

He said the province had been divided into five circles for the campaign – southern, the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, watershed areas, Abbottabad and Malakand — where 4.484 million, 5.277 million, 1.65 million, 1.577 million and 2.613 million samplings, respectively, would be sown.

Dr Javed said 994,755 saplings would be planted through village development committees, 1.221 million through farmers’ groups and 295,419 through the defence forces.

The educational institutions had been given the target of 188,000 saplings, he said.

He said a target of planting 3.62 million saplings had been given to the Forestry Sector Project in the Southern, Malakand and Abbottabad circles. In Southern Circle, comprising Peshawar, Mardan, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Kohat districts, 2.504 million saplings would be planted over 5,097 acres; in Malakand, 581,000 saplings would be planted and in Abbottabad, 535,000.

Dr Nasim said organizations with high human and financial resources as well as interest had been earmarked greater allocation from the planting stock.

“We are focusing on the local communities through the villages development committees to carry out most of the plantation during the campaign,” he said, adding that individual farmers would be facilitated for plantation on their farms and fields.

The official said radio programmes like ‘Karkilla’ would be used to propagate the campaign.

In villages and mountainous areas, plantation will be organized through district government and village committees, he said.

“The Forest department has chalked out a strategy for urging ulema, khatibs and religious scholars to speak on benefits of tree plantation during their sermons,” he said.—APP