World Congress on Agro-forestryNew Delhi -2014

Agro-Forestry for Food and Wood Security – An Industry Experience in India

Dr. H D KulkarniVice President (Plantations)

ITC Ltd.,Paperboards & Specialty Papers DivisionHyderabad (A.P.) India

• World-over the common practice for growing tree plantation (Pulpwood) on large scale is to plant with a single species.

• On the other hand, mixed and agro-forestry plantations are very rare in occurrence (except for Coffee, Tea, Coconut, Areca nut, Palm oil plantation etc)

• A lot of research is done on planting geometry involving trees and crops but large-scale commercial Agro-Forestry plantations are not common.

World scenario

ITC Plantation - A Case Study• ITC Paperboards & Specialty Papers Division, Unit: Bhadrachalam, produces 320,000 tonnes of pulp

with 1200,000 tonnes of wood per annum

• To meet the wood requirement, the company embarked on Social / Farm forestry programme.

• ITC’s strategy is to raise pulpwood plantations commensurate with wood consumption.

• The Pioneering Tree Improvement Programme on Eucalyptus, Casuarina and Leucaena was launched in 1989 which resulted into release of improved clones - popularly known as “ITC Bhadrachalam clones”

• Selection and breeding along with Root trainer technology was employed for improving the productivity of plantations in India.

• The survival percentage of clonal plantations is more than 95 compared to 40 to 60% of seedling based plantations.

• The productivity range from 20 to 58 t/ha/yr compared to 6 to 10 t/ha/yr from seedling origin plantations.

• 107 Eucalyptus , 12 Subabul and 15 Casuarina site specific and disease resistant clones were developed.

• New generation hybrids were also developed with higher productivity and adaptability.

• To ensure availability of high quality, genetically pure planting material to the farmers a “State of the Art Sapling” production centre with Israeli technology was established with a capacity of 25 Million saplings per year.

Clones Grown on Red Soil

Clones Grown on Black Soil

Clonal Eucalyptus Plantations

4 Year old

2 Year old

1 Year old

ITC Plantations

4 year old Eucalyptus plantation

3 year old Casuarina plantation 2 year old subabul clonal plantation

EUCALYPTUS WITH CHILLIEUCALYPTUS WI TH CHI LLI

Agro-Forestry (Intercropping)

EUCALYPTUS WITH DRYLAND PADDYEUCALYPTUS WITH UPLAND PADDY

EUCALYPTUS WITH TURMERICEUCALYPTUS WI TH TURMERI C

Eucalyptus with Ridge gourdEucalyptus with Ridge gourd

Eucalyptus with Banana

Developing Sustainable Agro-Forestry Models for

Wood & Food Security

Objective:

1. To improve the farm productivity & profitability by integrating trees

in farm land.

2. To take pressure off from the remaining natural forests for wood

supply.

3. To bring in diversification on farm lands

Agro-Forestry

Normal Practice (Block Planting) – Planting Geometry

Age of Harvesting Spacing No of Trees/Ha

1) 9-10 Year 3m X 3m 1111

2) 7 Years 3m X 2m 1667

3) 4 Years 3m X 1.5m 2222

3m

Farm Forestry & Social Forestry

New Concept

1.5M

Design: 8.5m + 1.5m / 2 X 1.0m = 5sq.m (2000 Trees/Ha)

Land Allocation: 75% - Agriculture & 25% - Forestry

8.5M 8.5M

Agric Crop Area Agric Crop Area

Pulpwood Tree Plantation

1M

What is Novelty …???1. Planting Eucalyptus in Paired Row Design.

2. Accommodating 2000 Trees/Ha in 2500sq.m.

3. Harvesting same wood yield as in block

plantation.

4. Natural resource utilization round the year.

5. Leaving 7500sq.m land for agriculture crop.

6. Raising agriculture crop in 75% area is

bonus.

Earlier Concept : Agric Crops in Plantations

Recent Approach : Plantations in Agric Crops

Agro forestry plantation in M.P. (Euca + Wheat)

The Big Challenge …

Different Crops have Different Planting Density

1. Tobacco = 105cm X 60cm = 6,349 Plants/Acre

2. Cotton = 75cm X 75cm = 7,111 Plants/Acre

3. Chilli = 60cm X 60cm = 11,111 Plants/Acre

4. Sunflower = 60cm X 30cm = 22,222 Plants/Acre

5. Maize = 60cm X 25cm = 26,667 Plants /Acre

Adoption of the new concept – Location 1

Farmer : Mr. N Venkateswara Rao

Village : Vinayakpuram, Aswraraopeta

Distt : Khammam, AP

DOP : July, 2010

Age : 15 months old euca

Area : 3 acres

Remarks : No effect of Euca on cotton

1st crop: Cotton 5qtl/ac 2nd Crop – Cotton

GBH: 19.5cm

“Eucalyptus recorded 14.7% higher growth”

Adoption of the new concept – Location 2

Farmer : Mr. K. Kondandarama Rao

Village : Mungamuru, Ongole

Distt : Prakasam, AP

DOP : Jan, 2011

Age : 10 months old

Area : 6 acres

Remarks : No effect of Euca on agri crops

Farmer harvested 1st crop of Bengalgram average yield 6 qtl/acre

2nd crop – Cucumber 1st crop – Bengalgram 2nd crop – Blackgram

Adoption of the new concept – Location 3

Farmer : Mr. K. Sambashivarao

Village : Daggi, Sadashivanagar,

Distt : Nizamabad, AP

DOP : July 8-15, 2011

Age : 4 months old

Area : 63 acres plot

Remarks : No effect of Euca on maize crop

Farmer harvested bumper crop of Maize Average yield 25qtl/acre

1.2m

Economic Analysis of Cotton + Eucalyptus

Year Crop Yield Crop Reduction 1st 85% 15% 2nd 75% 25% 3rd 75% 25% 4th 70% 30%

Suppose in 4 years farmer is loosing equal to one agri crop Average Yield of Cotton = 6-8 qtls/acreAvg Market Rate last year = Rs 3500 to 6500/- per qtlGross income from Cotton = Rs 21,000 to 52,000 per acreAvg cost of cotton cultivation = Rs 14,000 per acreNet income from cotton = Rs 7,000 to 38,000 per acre

Eucalyptus avg yield in 4 years = 40 to 60MT/acreEucalyptus market rate = Rs 2,000/MTGross income from Euca wood = Rs 80,000 to 1.2 Lac/acreAvg cost of euca cultivation = Rs 22,000/acre in 4 yearsNet income from Euca wood = Rs 58,000 to 98,000/acre in 4 year

Worked out the C/B ratio which is remunerative than block planting.

Agro-forestry model has the potential to double the farm income.

Journey So Far …………

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4000

Agro Forestry Plantations = 6427 Ha

Agro-forestry Demo plots

Benefits of Agro-Forestry

1. Improving the productivity & profitability of farm lands where one crop is grown in a year.

2. Contributing to the food security by restoring farm soil fertility for food crops.

3. Reducing deforestation and pressure on natural forests by providing pulpwood grown on farm lands.

4. Increasing diversity of farm lands by growing trees along with agriculture crops.

5. Trees act as wind and insect barriers and protect agri-crop

6. Reducing poverty through increased production of agro-forestry products.

7. Reduces the risk of rain-fed agriculture

8. Higher economic returns to the farmers

9. This model is best suited for small & medium farmers

ITC Plantation - A Case study

The Company has promoted Social / farm forestry plantations over 158,000 ha with 714 million saplings from 1992 to 2013.

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17 56 218 457 1247 2007 3210 4565 6144 859112778

19584

29246

40896

65042

80158

90133

103469

113892

124910

142306

158971

Cimulative Plantation Area in Ha

ITC Plantation

Reforestation CDM Project

• Reforestation project (UNFCCC Reg. No. 2241) covering 3070.19 ha in Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh was registered on 5-6-2009.

• Generates 57791 CERs / yr and for a period of 30 years 1.87 mn CERs.

• on 14-12-2012, UNFCCC has issued 403,610 CERs.

Forest Stewardship Council certification

• The FSC FM Certificate for 22,565 ha in India is the first certificate to the paper industry.

EES Benefits

• The ITC agro-forestry plantations of 158,000 ha over one 4 year cycle

- Create an estimated wood asset value of INR 4514 cr (US$ 75 million) -@yield of 100 MT/Ha and average price of Rs.3500/MT.

- Off-set 28.9 million tons CO2 and - Create estimated employment for 71 million persons days

from various activities

Thus, Greening the Triple Bottom line ( EES) and

Creating Enduring Value to the Nation.

Even if 3% of the net cultivated area under rain-fed conditions (75 Mn Ha) is brought under Agro-forestry systems, it can meet the entire pulpwood requirements of the country and contributes towards enhanced incomes to the communities and arrests land degradation.

Thus, Agro-forestry with innovative planting geometry will be a true sustainable model leading to best sustainable practice in India.

Conclusion

Thank you

Plantation on wasteland Agro-forestry (Euca + Wheat)