International Paper launches website to connect farmers

Portal will educate farmers on best farming techniques and also connect them to the Centre's Digital India programme

International Paper APPM Limited (IP-APPM) has launched an exclusive web portal for farmers called Rythukosam to promote farm forestry.

The portal, available in English and Telugu, will educate farmers on the best farming techniques in tree plantation, and connect them to the Centre's Digital India programme. As part of this, the company also launched Rythukosam Smart Card to enable direct transfer of monetary benefits to their bank accounts. About 300 farmers have so far been issued the smart card, a company release stated.

"We aim to acquaint farmers with the technically proven scientific methods of farming, which will help improve productivity and their economic potential. The smart card programme helps build an important bridge and ongoing relationship with the farmers and helps them gain long-term economic benefits. We expect to gradually cover all the farmers involved in Casuarina and Subabul plantations in the coming days," Rampraveen Swaminathan, president, IP-APPM said while launching the initiative on Friday at Kadiam in East Godavari.

IP-APPM, which is into pulp and paper products, had launched its farm forestry programme for clonal plantations in the 80s. The programme, which is currently country's largest, has so far planted over 1.75 billion saplings in over 252,000 hectare, the release added.