The Hindu : Front Page : Record in planting of saplings

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 06, 2005

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Record in planting of saplings

M. Rajeev

CRACK AT GUINNESS RECORD: Farmers getting ready to plant saplings at Bhimuni Gudem in Khammam district on Monday as part of ITC's `Hara Banao' campaign.

BHADRACHALAM: Gaining an entry into the prestigious Guinness Book of World Records requires a gigantic effort. The foods division of the ITC did exactly that by attempting a new world record in planting the highest number of saplings in one hour. The previous record was held by a Canadian agency, which planted 1.34 lakh saplings in one hour.

With some advance planning and coordination, it bettered the existing record in style by planting 3,00,587 saplings of eucalyptus and subabul in just 20 minutes in 264 acres spread across 17 different locations in and around Bhadrachalam on Monday.

Khammam district Collector R.N. Nimje and senior officials were present. It would take another two months for the ITC to submit its claim and get its achievement listed in the Guinness Book.

Farmers on the go

Over 15,000 people, mostly farmers from the villages, assigned the task of planting about 20 saplings each in the given time. Cheered by volunteers, the farmers completed the task within 20 minutes. The plantation drive was not taken up for the record sake. The ITC has its own long-term plans in promoting the plantation of eucalyptus in vast areas for use in the paper industry.

ITC officials said they did not attach any commercial importance to the event, which cost Rs. 50 lakhs, saying that it was farmers who would benefit. Moreover, it was not a captive plantation and the farmers would have to take care of the plants. "The ITC will pay the market price for procuring the wood from them," Pradeep Dhobale, divisional chief executive of the ITC, said.

Explaining the objective of the `Sunfeast Hara Banao' campaign along with the ITC foods division divisional chief executive Ravi Naware, Mr. Pradeep said that the drive was a win - win situation for both farmers and the company.

The farmers would get a market price of over Rs. 2,000 a tonne of wood, which translates into an income of Rs. 2 lakhs an acre in the five years of the trees' growth.

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