1.6 lakh teak plants for Rayalaseema conversion

                                                               

Special Commissioner of Rural Development K. Vidyasagar said on Thursday march 1^st that 1.6 lakh teak saplings would be distributed free of charge among farmers in Rayalaseema region by March end, to promote afforestation.

He inspected a nursery raised by Ramana Reddy at Chinna Illugaripalle in Rajampet mandal, a nursery maintained by Forest Department at Mantapampalle in Vontimitta mandal and a cluster-level livelihood resource centre at Rajampet. Fifty thousand teak saplings would be given each in Kadapa and Kurnool districts and 30 lakhs each in Anantapur and Chittoor districts, he said.

The government would pay Rs. 56 per plant in the first year, Rs. 36 in the second year and Rs. 24 in the third year to plants that survive for three years. Farmers were evincing interest in raising teak plantations and 160 teak plants can be grown in an acre of land. Landless poor who benefited by Indira Jalaprabha programme would be given financial assistance for raising the plants.

The State government procured the teak plants from Tanjore in Tamil Nadu, raised them in nurseries and would supply to farmers, Mr. Vidyasagar said. DWMA officials would give suggestions to farmers and they should plant them on bunds along the border of the agricultural lands, as they would grow withstanding the summer temperature, he stated.

Rajampet Divisional Forest Officer Srinivasulu Reddy said the government proposed to raise red sander nurseries and it was taking stern measures to curb red sander smuggling.