Forest dept encourages farmers to earn money through plantation

Mysuru: In order to encourage farmers to take up plantation in their fields , which will improve their economy as well as the ecology of the region, the forest department has decided to distribute nine lakh saplings of native species to the farming community in the district.

As the farming community is in distress owing to Covid-19 lockdown and poor demand and marketing facilities for their produce, the forest department will provide them incentives to encourage raising trees in their private farms.

Under the programme, the forest department will provide the seedlings of native species like teak, sandalwood, melia dubia (hebbevu), mahogany, honge, neem, bamboo and others.

The nine lakh saplings, raised in the nursery of the forest department in Mysuru, T Narasipura, Nanjangud, HD Kote and Sarguru in the district, are ready for distribution to farmers. The farmers will be given an incentive of Rs 40 per sapling by the end of October.

DCF (Mysuru division) KC Prashantkumar told TOI that the programme will improve the economic condition of farmers as well as increase the green cover.

“Farmers have to get the saplings from the department’s nurseries and plant them in their agricultural fields. They have to provide details of the surviving trees in June. They will get Rs 30 per saplings in the first and second year and Rs 40 per sapling in the third year,” he said.

DCF Prashantkumar also said that the department has taken up block plantation in 500 hectares of land, planting activity in around 50kms in the city and roadside planting.

“These activities are taken up to increase green cover,” he said.