Trying to increase forest cover: Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Environment and Forest Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary said that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is trying hard to increase the forest cover in the state from the existing 36 percent to 38 percent.

Patowary also said that the government encourages the farmers of the state to plant high-value trees like sandal, agar, etc. for deriving economic benefits. He said that now a farmer can register online the trees he is planting outside five-km radius of forest areas, and once fully grown, farmers can apply online for felling those trees.

Patowary attended a stakeholders’ conference on the Assam Wood-Based Industries (Promotion and Development) Rules, 2022, and Assam Trees Outside Forest (Sustainable Management) Rules, 2022, organized by the Environment and Forest Department today.

Briefing the media, Patowary said, “Assam became a pioneer in the country by bringing out notification of the Wood-Based Industries (Promotion and Development) Rules, 2022, and the Assam Trees Outside Forest (Sustainable Management) Rules, 2022, in January 2023. Both rules are fully synchronised for efficient fulfilment of both greening and growth objectives. These Rules provide a major boost to the local green economy by encouraging growth in employment and income by channelling public and private investment into activities that mitigate climate change, enhance energy and resource efficiency, and prevent the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services.”

Patowary said that through the implementation of these rules, the state is set to reclaim its rightful position as the Agar capital of the country. “The vision is to bring back the glory of the wood-based industry sector in the state. These Rules aim for optimal utilization of the agro-climatic potential of Assam to bring about a revolution in the cultivation of trees outside of forests to augment the livelihoods of farmers and to meet the raw material demand of wood-based industries in Assam from non-forest sources in an ecologically sustainable manner,” he said.

“We are looking at facilitating the plywood industry in the state by exploring options for planting fast-growing and high-yielding trees in the state. Our government has also set up an agar trade centre at Golaghat, and we hope to help the Agar wood-based industries in the state for economic development,” the minister said.

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