24 June :In an attempt to achieve the target of doubling forest cover to 15 per cent in Punjab in the next two years, the state govt on Wednesday said it has decided to give a big push to agro-forestry and distribute 10 lakh seedlings of fast-growing and economically viable trees.
The forest department has decided to adopt cloning technology for mass production of seedlings required for Agro Forestry operations in the state as it increases productivity fourfold as compared to the traditional method, Forest Minister Tikshan Sud told reporters in Chandigarh.
To produce these seedlings, the department has established high-tech mist chambers at Hoshiarpur, Gurdaspur, Amrtisar, Ropar, Moga, Phillaur and Bathinda.The seedlings of trees such as Eucalyptus, Shisham and Drek will be distributed to farmers for planting in their fields at subsidized rates.
He said that the the step would not only increase the income of farmers, but would also help to diversify land use.The minister said agro forestry was becoming quite attractive for farmers who want to switch from wheat/paddy cropping pattern as it was fast becoming unsustainable.
Sud said his department has evolved a new agro-forestry model that allows a combination of crops along with trees."The state forest department is striving to achieve a target of 15 per cent land area under tree cover and forests by the year 2011," the Minister said.
The current forest cover is 7.2 per cent.The Forest Minister said that there were already 61.2 million trees existing outside the forests and the number is expected to increase to 100 million by 2010.