Punjab to plant 30 mn saplings annually

In order to meet the demand for three million cubic metre of wood annually by approximately 5,000 wood-based industries in the state, Punjab Forest Minister Tikshan Sud has directed the department to work out on every possibility to plant thirty million plants for this purpose in the state.

He further said the government land required for the afforestation programme was not available. So, the department plans to use private land to plant high quality stock with greater yield per unit area. Against the requirement of thirty million plants, approximately 14 million plants were being planted every year in the state through agro-forestry and other afforestation programmes, said Sud.

The minister also said the department would set up one or two centralised high-tech forest nurseries with their hedge gardens for sourcing of high quality planting material along with mist chambers/green houses etc.