The Prime Minister, Mr. Samuel Ntsokoane Matekane led the planting of 6000 indigenous trees at Thaba-Chitja in Thabana-Morena on Friday.

Addressing community members during the commemoration of the Nation Tree Planting Day, Mr. Matekane said trees are important for various activities to people hence the need to plant them in large numbers countrywide.

He added that as a result of climate change, temperatures are too high and affecting the lives of the herders and children from their homes to their different destinations, saying planting trees will address this challenge by providing among other things shade to them.

The Prime Minister, therefore, called on community members to work with the local authority in the area to protect the trees since they are the first people to benefit after three years of maturity.

Speaking at the same occasion, the Minister in the Prime Minister’s office, Mr. Limpho Tau thanked members of the community for taking part in planting trees, saying by so doing they have been responsible for protecting the environment while at the same time strengthening community livelihoods.

Mr. Tau said all open areas particularly in the country should be planted with fruit trees so that the country will be a source of the international market for fruits, saying trees should be planted regularly unlike the current situation where they are occasionally planted.

The Minister said if the country can plant more trees, it will be able to produce various products like paper and timber for making wood and furniture and stop importing products of wood unnecessarily.

Also speaking, the Minister of Health and member of Parliament for Thabana-Morena Constituency, Mr. Selibe Mochoboroane said the community in the area should be thankful for hosting the Prime Minister for a second time as it is in rare cases that the community meet with such people.

Mr. Mochoboroane appealed to the Minister of Forestry, Ranges, Soil and Water Conservation to provide members of the community in the area with fruit trees as they have huge land for fruits trees plantation.

He said through the production of fruit trees, unemployed community members will get jobs near homes while at the same time producing food for consumption.

He remarked that trees are important for the survival of both human beings and livestock since they provide oxygen.

Planted trees among others include Olive, Beefwood and Grass trees.

National Tree Planting Day is an annual event held on March 21 to fight land degradation and improve the wild environment.