In a bid to encourage farmers to grow trees on their farms and thus increase forest cover, the state forest department has embarked on an agro-forestry incentive scheme on a massive scale. Chief minister B S Yeddyurappa will launch the scheme at Karnatak University in Dharwad on Friday.
Forest minister Vijayshankar, giving details of the scheme here on Tuesday, told reporters the scheme would help enrich the green belt and empower farmers financially. The department of agriculture would provide them saplings at a subsidised price and a cash incentive of Rs 45 per plant per annum for maintenance for three years.
He said the department had equipped itself to provide saplings in quantities demanded by farmers. The forest department has tied up with Universities of agricultural sciences and horticultural sciences in the state and Indian Wood Science Institute (Bangalore) for the supply of saplings.
The minister said, saplings of mango, tamarind, jackfruit, gooseberry, teak, rosewood and other commercial plants will also be supplied to farmers. Indian Wood Science Institute will supply 200,000 sandalwood saplings.
Responding to the scheme, farmers have started registering their names, he informed. Farmers registering under the scheme would be issued passbooks containing all details about the saplings supplied to them.
Vijayshankar said, four mega nurseries will be set up in Belgaum, Gulbarga, Bangalore and Mysore in 100 acres of land each. Apart from this, mini-nurseries will be set up in tourist spots and pilgrim centres across the State.
The minister informed that complaints had been received about encroachment and illegal mining in Kappatagudda in Gadag district and Siddarabetta in Tumkur districts. “These two hills will be conserved and protected as they have medicinal herbs,” he asserted.
