Latur, Jan 9 :District Collector Prithviraj B.P. Today  said that the district administration would help to make sure Bamboo plantation becomes people’s movement and create a new bamboo pattern for Latur.
He was speaking on the occasion of inauguration of bamboo cultivation on 100 acres land in Salgara village on the banks of Manjra river under Project on Climate Resilient Agriculture (POCRA) scheme.
He said that Latur district has the lowest tree cover in the state at less than one percent. In order to increase it, bamboo should be planted in large quantities as it is now considered to be one of the most important trees in water management, giving good economic returns and providing most of the oxygen we need to survive.

On this occasion former MLA Pasha Patel, Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Abhinav Goyal, District Superintendent of Agriculture Dattatraya Gavasane, Deputy Divisional Agriculture Officer Rajendra Kadam, Salgara village Sarpanch Shantabai Salunkhe, farmers were present.
If the major Manjara river and other tributaries in Latur district are to be kept flowing all year round, then farmers should come forward for the cultivation of bamboo which conserves a large amount of water. There are plans to plant trees in hundreds of villages in the district on the banks of the river Manjara, he said.
The administration will help through schemes like POCRA, MGNREGA but for that the villages and farmers should come forward, he said.
Planting bamboo can also lead to investment in the processing industry. Today, Salgara village has set a new standard not only for the district but also for the state by planting bamboo in 100 acres, he added.(UNI)