Study on economic benefits of eucalyptus plantations to the local communities of district Malakand
Study on economic benefits of eucalyptus plantations to the local communities of district Malakand
Muhammad Yousaf Khan and Pervez Manan
ABSTRACT
Eucalyptus is the most widely propagated tree species throughout the world, because of its adoptability to site, types of management systems, multipurpose nature and fast growth the Eucalyptus was introduced in Sub-Continent in late 18th century for the first time. Need for conducting this study was felt to dig out the facts about Eucalyptus plantations in Malakand District after a protest of few participants organized and brought by NGOs based at Peshawar and Islamabad with Play Cards in their hands against Eucalyptus trees planted in Billion Trees Project of the KP Government. The protest organized in front of Malakand Press Club Batkhela on 31st August, 2018 got wide spread publicity in print and electronic Media. In response local members of Nazism, Councilors and Farmers assembled in front of the same Press Club within a week after the NGO function and recorded their wrath on the role of NGOs and demanded for more plantation of eucalyptus trees on their private and communal lands on the score being the best tree of high economic importance for their lively hood. Surprisingly this protest could not get the required publicity in media. It is pertinent to mention that in district Malakand Eucalyptus plantations were carried out through Malakand-Dir Social Forestry Project in 80s. All the Eucalyptus plantations carried out after proper Village Land Use Planning (VLUP) in the supervision of foreign technical advisors of that particular project. The data for this study has been collected from 56 plantations carried out on communal lands by the project on demand of local communities. The results reveal that the NGOs and media campaign is against the economy of the poor of the poor's of the society as well as wood based industry of Pakistan in general and that of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in particular.
The study recommends organization and reorganization of the local communities and their capacity building on marketing and value chain management of eucalyptus in order to maximize economic benefits from these plantations. The study also recommends establishment of composite wood and paper industry in Malakand as plenty of raw material is available in shape of Eucalyptus trees raised in length and width of the district
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June 2016
Vol. 66, Iss. 2
