A Consortium of Industrial Agroforestry (CIAF) has been launched at Forest College and Research Institute to improve the green cover of Tamil Nadu.

Good response

About 100 members from farming community, research organisations, wood-based industries, nursery growers, plantation developers, tree felling groups, producer organisations, tree grower societies, Forest Department, Krishi Vigyan Kendra, banks, NGOs and insurance companies have enrolled as members of this consortium.

The members have avowed to carry forward the momentum of the ICAR-sponsored NAIP project on “value chain in industrial agroforestry in TN,” which came to a close in 2014.

The value chain model, forest college sources said, not only brought all the stakeholders to a common platform but also helped improve agro-forestry plantations by popularising high-yielding improved clones of Casuarina, Melia, Ailanthus, Subbabul, Dalbergia, Kumizh and Kadham.

Wood farming growth

A study of the achievements of the seven-year project revealed that the area under contract wood farming (involving 25,000 farmers) in the State had crossed 70,000 acres; wood productivity up from 80 to 100 tonnes/ hectare to 150 and the rotation period reduced to three years.

Farmers have benefited from the minimum procurement price and the industries dependent on wood supplies such as paper, plywood, matchwood and biofuel-from assured supply of quality raw material.

The credit-linked insurance cover boosted the sentiments of the farmers, the findings noted.

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