Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) President Farooq Yousaf Sheikh has welcomed the Faisalabad Development Authority’s (FDA) initiative to plant fruit-bearing trees in FDA City on Sargodha Road and said that the move would not only help combat environmental pollution but also generate sustainable financial returns to support future afforestation projects.
FCCI hails fruit tree plantation in FDA City, proposes self-sustaining model for urban afforestation
FAISALABAD, Aug 06 (APP):Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) President Farooq Yousaf Sheikh has welcomed the Faisalabad Development Authority’s (FDA) initiative to plant fruit-bearing trees in FDA City on Sargodha Road and said that the move would not only help combat environmental pollution but also generate sustainable financial returns to support future afforestation projects.
In a statement, he praised the vision and foresight of Director General FDA Muhammad Asif Chaudhry for introducing an initiative that combined environmental protection with economic sustainability.
Farooq Yousaf Sheikh said that FDA City was a fully protected residential scheme where access of unauthorized persons could be effectively controlled, making it an ideal location for planting fruit-bearing trees that were often damaged in open public areas.
He suggested that FDA should adopt a structured management mechanism by awarding contracts for the protection, maintenance and marketing of the fruit produced from these trees. Under such an arrangement, the contractors would have a direct stake in safeguarding the plantations while ensuring proper harvesting and sale of the fruit, he added.
The FCCI President further recommended selecting fruit tree varieties capable of yielding produce within a relatively short period so that their harvest could be auctioned at the earliest opportunity. He said that the revenue generated from the sale of fruit should be reinvested in plantation drives in newly developed blocks of FDA City, creating a self-financing and sustainable urban forestry model.
Such environmentally responsible initiatives would contribute significantly to improve air quality, expand green cover and promote climate resilience while simultaneously generating economic value for the development authority, he added.
Farooq Yousaf Sheikh also expressed hope that FDA’s initiative would serve as a model for other public sector organizations and urban development agencies across the country, encouraging them to integrate environmental conservation with innovative revenue-generating mechanisms for long-term benefit of communities and future generations.
