ITCs forest initiative greens over 77,000 hectares

  • 11/03/2008

  • Business Line

Kolkata, March 10 ITC Ltd, according to the company's just released 4th Sustainability Report, under its Social and Farm Forestry initiative has greened over 77,0000 hectares, creating an estimated potential for 35 million person days of employment among the disadvantaged. An official statement released by the company here on Monday states that the company has invested in extensive R&D to create disease-resistant clonal saplings, which can grow in a shorter time cycle, even in wastelands and harsh conditions. These saplings, says the company, are made available to tribals and marginal farmers who utilise them to grow plantations on private wastelands, ensuring supplementary incomes and sustainable livelihoods. It is pointed out that besides converting private wastelands into productive assets and addressing critical issues relating to biomass depletion, soil erosion, water security, bio-diversity and ecological balance, the initiative has also enabled the company to sequester twice the amount of carbon emitted from its operations, contributing to the national goals of climate change mitigation. The report has cited the company as water positive five years in a row, carbon positive for two years and quite near to achieving zero solid waste status. Successful in water-harvesting, it is pointed out that the potential created in 2006-07 was nearly four times the net water consumption on all operations.