‘Idle, denuded areas can earn when used right’
When utilized properly, private and public lands kept idle as well as denuded areas can earn about P70 billion for the government every year, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
DENR 6 Director Julian Amador said this is the challenge posed by new Environment Secretary Ramon Paje during his first meeting with the regional executive directors.
Paje said government is losing this much hence lands should not be left unproductive.
He said he would tap the Philippine Forest Corp., a corporate arm of the DENR, in turning the denuded public lands into productive areas, which are now about 7.2 million hectares.
He added that exploring the possibility of increasing economic viability of idle lands in the country has not been attended to because people look at land as to be used merely for residential and agricultural purposes, instead of utilizing them for as sustainable and profitable resource.
For his part, Amador said that for the past years, the DENR 6 has been encouraging private land owners to plant fruit trees for food production and for forest trees as investment for raw materials for the dwindling wood industry and furniture-making ventures.
