Assam Forest Department to plant 5 crore saplings during FY 2023-24

GUWAHATI: The Assam Forest Department will plant around five crore saplings in the state during the fiscal year 2023-24 in order to improve the state’s forest cover area, an official said on Friday.

MK Yadav, Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) and Head of Forest Force of Assam Forest department told ANI that, the state Forest department plans to plant about 5 crore saplings across the state in this financial year.

“As per the direction of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Forest Minister, we have decided to plant about 5 crore saplings. In this plantation, we will be planting about 2.80 crore seedlings and the rest will be distributed among the farmers and households,” MK Yadav said.

Earlier on June 8, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that to extend green cover in the state and give a fillip to a tree economy, the state government has decided to plant 1 crore saplings across the state on October 2 this year on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti.

Earlier in October 2022, the Assam Chief Minister stated that the state administration decided to raise Assam’s forest cover from 36 per cent to 38 per cent in the following years through extensive plantations across the state.

“The state government has decided to increase the forest cover of Assam from 36 per cent to 38 per cent in coming years by way of large plantations across the state,” said the Assam CM.