Seed-Ball Drive Covers 20,929 Hectares in AP
The initiative was launched on World Environment Day at Mulpadu Eco Park, where Pawan Kalyan prepared the first seed ball.
Vijayawada:Andhra Pradesh’s seed-ball campaign to restore degraded forests and increase green cover has covered 20,929 hectares, with 2.06 crore seed balls dispersed, achieving nearly 85 per cent of the targeted area.
The programme, launched under the direction of Deputy Chief Minister and forest and environment minister K. Pawan Kalyan, aims to increase the State’s green cover to 50 per cent. The forest department has set a target of dispersing more than three crore seed balls during the current season.
The initiative was launched on World Environment Day at Mulpadu Eco Park, where Pawan Kalyan prepared the first seed ball. Around 2.82 crore seed balls have since been prepared, mostly using seeds of indigenous and multipurpose tree species.
Drone technology is being used to identify degraded patches in inaccessible forest interiors and disperse seed balls. The seeds are selected according to local geographical and ecological conditions.
The programme has been taken up extensively in Tirupati, Anantapur, Kurnool, Guntur, Rajamahendravaram, NTR and Visakhapatnam districts. Forest field staff and residents of border villages have participated in preparing, transporting and dispersing the seed balls.
Pawan Kalyan directed officials to monitor germination, seedling survival and plant growth in the treated areas. He stressed the need for sustained monitoring to ensure that the initiative contributes to forest regeneration and the State’s target of 50 per cent green cover.
