“There is the need to develop a market price mechanism for agro forestry, as farmers would practice it only when they are assured of better returns,” Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Research and Education), Tamil Nadu Forest Department, S. Balaji, said today.

Speaking at the consultative workshop on setting up priorities and functional modalities for implementing Agro Forest Policy (2014), Dr. Balaji said that the activities pertaining to agro forestry should be implemented in a mission mode at the State level.

Inaugurating the two-day workshop at Forest College and Research Institute at Mettupalayam, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University Vice-Chancellor, K. Ramasamy said that agro forestry had a major role to play in the economic development of the country.

He asked scientists to devise projects that would focus on the limitations and constraints faced by farmers who practised agro forestry.

Venketeshwara Rao, Chief General Manager, NABARD, asked participants to discuss different guidelines provided in the policy and come out with practically applicable recommendations that would benefit farmers and other stakeholders, a release from the Institute said.

Agro forestry land use system combined agriculture and forestry components to cater to the livelihood needs of the rural sector. Agro forestry farmers cultivate tree crops to meet their domestic and industrial needs and the workshop was organised to implement the objectives of the policy.

In order to sustain agro forestry, the policy was brought out in 2014 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural Cooperation and Farmers’ Welfare and the
workshop was attended by 150 scientists, representatives from rural industries, wood based industries, farmers and NGOs.