Pact inked to boost Gumla tasar farming

Gumla: The Gumla administration inked a tripartite agreement with the Congnisphere Solution Private Ltd. (CSL) and the Tasar Development Foundation (TDF) on Monday for a one-year livelihood project through sericulture involving 1,500 farmers across the district.
CSL, having tie-up with Climate Partner of Germany, will raise funds for the farmers for cultivation of four kinds of tasar plants, while TDF will provide the technical and managerial support.
The district administration will facilitate construction of irrigation infrastructures, promote intercroping and meet other requirements through effecting convergence of different government schemes for this project, CSL director Satyabrata Acharya said.
“All cost of raising four kinds of tasar plants — Arjuna, Asan, Gamgar and Silam — on the farmers’ plots will be by borne by the CSL. We have arranged investment from the Climate Partner of Germany,” he added.
TDF’s executive officer Md Shamshad Alam said, “Besides providing technologies for the project, TDF will help form a district-level cooperative society of farmers involved in tasar cultivation. It will buy cocoons from the farmers, make threads and market them. Above 1,000 acres of barren or fallow uplands not being used for normal farming will be used for growing tassar plants.”
Gumla deputy commissioner Sushant Gaurav has constituted a monitoring committee with officials from different departments like agriculture, horticulture, soil conservation, Jharkhand Livelihood Promotion Society and MGNRGA for proper implementation of the project.
“Our objective is to ensure sustainable income generation for farmers by promoting sericulture production in their vacant lands. Plants of tasar have been selected as per the local climatic conduction to reduce carbon emission. Within two to three years, the project could be a good model for income generation for farmers,” he added.