| The marketing strategy adopted by the department is to first access the markets and tie-up with potential buyers before going in for the manufacturing. |
| JPL Srivastava, principal chief conservator of forests, Haryana, said the investment of the project was being partly being borne by the forest department, partly by 10-15 villages and the rest by NGOs. |
| "The mushroom co-operatives in Haryana has been funded by the Japan Bank for International Corporation, which will provide an assistance of Rs 286 crore for a term of five years, covering 800 villages,"Srivastava added. |
| Presently 200 villges have been covered and some of the self help group formed under the Village Forest Committees have seen a 10 percent profit in the first season of production. |
| The co-operatives in the state have not only become popular among farmers, but also landless labourers and other section of the society, according to officials. |
| Out of the 14 villages in the Ambala, four villages will be manufacturing herbal gulal, the second herbal factory in India. The technology has been taken from the Lucknow National Botanical Research Institute. |
| Involving an investment of over Rs 40 lakh, handmade papers manufacturing will be done in 15 villages in Kurukshetra, according to Srivastava. "The MOU has been signed with Kumarapa National Handmade Paper Institute and the project will start in March'2006,"he said. |
| He further added that the forest department was trying to get the technology for dehydrating flowers and packaging them for domestic and export market. "At the same time the department is accessing potential dealers and companies like Archies which can brand our product," quipped the principal chief conservator of forests. |
| According to Srivastava the department was not looking at profit making for now but to create a supply and demand chain for the villages in the 20 districts of Haryana. |
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