Continuing its efforts to promote green cover in the State, the government will promote agri forestry by making effective use of provisions under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme for growing trees in the farm lands.
The Forest, Agriculture and Rural Development departments will adopt a coordinated approach to encourage farmers to cultivate trees along the borders of their farms without incurring any expenditure. The Agriculture department would suggest crops and varieties of trees including the fruit-bearing ones suitable for the particular land and the Forest Department would provide the saplings accordingly for distribution among the farmers.
The Rural Development officials, on their part, will ensure the costs incurred in engaging labour for planting the saplings are listed under the labour component of the NREGS.
Digitally signed musters along with the details of the labour employed would be sent to the Central government ensuring the amounts are credited directly into the accounts of the respective workers engaged.
Efforts are being made to include crops like red gram as intermediate crops that will enable farmers generate income even during off season.
“It is a holistic approach. It promotes expanding the green cover without any expenditure to farmers on the one hand and ensures year-long income to them on the other. Farmers need not depend on other sources for their timber requirement once the trees planted attain a certain stage of growth,” a senior official told The Hindu .
The more than 5,000 agricultural extension officers will be entrusted the responsibility of monitoring the growth of saplings planted periodically in the designated 5,000-acre land under their jurisdiction so that their survival is ensured, the official added.
