Decides on legalities for registration of nurseries
Irfan Tramboo
Srinagar, Jan 2: The Poplar Commission which was constituted earlier on the directions of the High Court for the framing of ‘Poplar Policy’ is all set to prepare the same within a week’s time for the necessary inputs of the members of the Commission before its finalization.
The Commission has also decided on the finalisation of modalities of formulating the Policy on the cultivation of Poplars including that of legal mechanism for registration of poplar nurseries.
The legal mechanism for the registration of nurseries will ensure that the planting material is regulated in the interest of quality to facilitate farmers to utilize only the good varieties of poplars.
In this regard, Dr Mohit Gera, PCCF, who is the Chairman of the Commission, asked the heads of the three Committees constituted during the first meeting of the Poplar Commission to submit their final reports along with recommendations by January 5.
During the meeting held-the minutes of which are lying with Excelsior-he informed that a policy template will be drafted and circulated among all members of the commission within weeks’ time for inputs on the draft policy.
In the meeting, Roshan Jaggi PCCF/Director Social Forestry, an expert member of the Commission, apprised the members in detail about the various steps taken by the Social Forestry Department.
He informed the members that Social Forestry Department is going to propagate 1890 poplars on a trial basis belonging to 9 different clones in Kashmir which have been procured from Punjab Agriculture University and raised on a trial basis at Sidhra Nursery Jammu last year.
As per the minutes of the meeting, he also said that various steps have been taken by the Social Forestry Department to provide male poplars to farmers under farm forestry and suggested propagation of male poplar clones of G- series and WIMCO series on a trial basis as already recommended by Dr Dhiman in his report.
The Poplar Commission also decided on the strict regulation of Private Nurseries by the Department of Social Forestry to be carried out while as it has also been decided to hold next meeting within a month so that recommendations could be finalized and draft policy be also prepared, discussed and draft finalized.
On the occasion, Dr Sammant, Director Himalayan Forest Research Institute, Shimla suggested that a variety of certified male clones of various species of Poplars especially P. deltoides need to be planted across J&K on a trial basis as an alternative to existing female P. deltoides.
“The clonal material to be procured from neighbouring states like HP, Haryana where same are harvested on short term rotations,” he said.
Dr Tariq Masoodi, Dean of Faculty Forestry, SKUAST-K during the meeting stressed the need for the propagation of male polar clones of diverse species recommended by Dr Dhiman in his report.
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