The Indian pulp and paper Industry has welcomed the proposal for a policy initiative to promote agroforestry in the country, which it believes will give a boost to the agro/farm forestry drive of the paper mills in the country.
February 3, 2022
The government is looking at agroforestry as one of the ways to help India get on a carbon-neutral growth path. The Budget has included it as one of the four interventions which will be used for the country’s “transition to the carbon-neutral economy”. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Budget on Tuesday, pitched for these interventions as important climate actions and said agroforestry and forests on private land would be promoted through adequate policies and required legislative changes.
“In addition, financial support will be provided to farmers belonging to Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), who want to take up agroforestry,” she said. Though she did not explain it further, the government may go for certain amendments in the Forest Conservation Act and the Indian Forest Act to promote agroforestry and forests on private land in tune with global practice to treat such green cover as an important mitigation tool.
Agroforestry is practised in both irrigated and rainfed conditions where it produces food, fuel, fodder, timber, fertiliser and fiber and contributes to food, nutritional and ecological security, sustains livelihoods, alleviates poverty and promotes productive and resilient cropping.
Also Read: Positive Signals to Manufacturing Sector Augur Well for Paper Industry in Budget 2022.
Currently, the government is working on agroforestry and afforestation programmes under the National Project on Agro-Forestry of the agriculture ministry and National Mission for Green India. Over 10 percent of the total budget of the environment ministry in 2022-23 (INR 3,030 crore) has been earmarked for the Green India mission.
