By IANS,
Shimla : The National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) will adopt 40 villages in Himachal Pradesh to promote herbal plantation in the state, Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said here Friday.
NABARD has already adopted 20 villages in the state.
“NABARD would adopt 40 more villages under the Village Development Plan to give boost to herbal cultivation and to improve livelihood of the farmers,” Dhumal told reporters after meeting with senior bank officers.
“Such an initiative would supplement the income of the farmers,” he added.
The chief minister said the government last year launched a herbal plantation campaign under which the farmers were provided saplings of more than 50 indigenous species like neem, banyan, jamun and peepal free of cost for plantation.
Over one crore herbal saplings were distributed among the locals through government-monitored 525 joint forest management committees.