Coimbatore Agriculture Department Launches Plantation Drive

The Coimbatore district's green cover may rise in the coming years, as the agriculture department has initiated a campaign to encourage farmers to plant and nurture tree saplings. Under the Tamil Nadu Mission on Sustainable Green Cover in Farm Lands Scheme, the agriculture department has ordered 3.43 lakh tree seedlings for Coimbatore.

While the distribution of tree seedlings will begin in a week, officials expect it to be completed in a month since circumstances are favourable for plantation, with the state lately receiving substantial rainfall. The scheme's major goal is to improve not just the state's tree cover but also farmers' revenue.

According to R Chithra Devi, Joint Director of Agriculture for the Coimbatore district, the agriculture department has made orders with the forest department for seedlings. Farmer’s have to register through the ‘Uzhavan App’ and can receive the saplings from the designated nurseries free of cost. Small and micro farmers, women farmers and farmers from scheduled caste and scheduled tribe will be given preference," she said.

Farmers who plant trees in bunds would receive 50 seedlings per acre, but farmers who plant trees in agricultural fields will receive 160 saplings per acre.

According to a survey performed last year, Coimbatore City has the best tree cover of the top five main cities in the state, according to an official. Coimbatore district ranks second in terms of forest acreage, with 1975 square kilometres, behind only Erode district, which has 2,307 square kilometres. According to the official, 73 lakh seedlings would be supplied to farmers across the state in phase one at a cost of Rs 28.57 crore, and 73 lakh saplings will be handed to farmers in phase two. At a cost of 45.84 crore rupees, 112 lakh seedlings would be given.

Plans like these which try to increase the forest cover in India stand in line with the promises made by India at the world stage as it will help create carbon sinks, of 2.5 to 3 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, by increasing its forest and tree cover to 33% of its land area.