GREEN GESTURE: A. Raja, Union Minister for Environment and Forests, handing over a sapling to a farmer at a workshop in Chennai on Saturday. — Photo: S. S. Kumar

CHENNAI: "A massive movement involving farmers, wood-based industries, banking and financial institutions, non-governmental organisations and experts in forestry is necessary to achieve the target of bringing one-third of national area under tree cover," speakers at a workshop on tree cultivation on private land said on Saturday.

Union Environment and Forest Minister A. Raja, who inaugurated the workshop, organised by the Forest Department here, said the National Forest Policy, 1988, stipulated that 33 per cent of the country's geographical area be brought under tree cover as against the 22 per cent at present.

The Indian Institute of Forest Management, which did a detailed study, had recommended that increasing the cover to 33 per cent would not be possible by the Government alone unless private stakeholders were also involved. The institute was preparing guidelines for improving the cover, which would be submitted to the Centre for approval, he said.

Director-General of Forests G.K. Prasad said tree planting on private land provided enormous scope for small and marginal farmers to get sustained income. They should be encouraged to grow tree species required for wood-based industries on their marginal and degraded land. Such tress might also be grown along with fuel and fodder species on community land with the consent of the people.

The wood-based industries should support them with credit, technical guidance and harvesting and transport services and assured minimum support price.

R. Rajagopal, Environment and Forest Department Secretary, said dry land farming had become a question mark with the frequent failure of monsoon and over-exploitation of groundwater. Of 20 lakh hectares of dry land, lying fallow in the State, farming was possible only on 5-7 lakh hectares. No agriculture activity was possible on three lakh hectares.

Tree planting could be encouraged on a massive scale in the rest of the land mostly belonging to small and marginal farmers. Forest research centres of the department had developed species, which could yield an income of Rs 15,000 to Rs 20000 an acre in a year after three years, he said.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests C.K. Sreedharan said the objective of the workshop was to transform tree cultivation into a people's movement and to prepare a mega project for tree cultivation on private land for the benefit of farmers.

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