The State government has launched a project to revive the cultivation of palmyrah, which has lost its importance in recent years despite being considered the State tree.
Initially, the Agriculture Department will distribute two crore seed nuts and 20 lakh timber value seedlings, free of cost. Also, the Horticulture Department has been tasked with distributing 50 lakh seed nuts in coastal districts.
For every hectare of land, 50 seed nuts and five seedlings will be provided. Villupuram, Thoothukudi and Krishnagiri have been allocated 16 lakh seed nuts each for distribution, followed by Dharmapuri with 14 lakh, Salem – 13 lakh and Namakkal – 12 lakh. In respect of seedlings, Krishnagiri, Villupuram and Thoothukudi have been given 1.6 lakh each.
The government has earmarked ₹14 crore for the promotion of cultivation of palmyrah.
