Plantation Crops and Forest Policy of India

Plantation Crops:
A plantation is a large farm or estate, usually in a tropical or subtropical country, where crops that are not consumed for food are grown for sale in distant markets, rather than for local consumption . Such crops include cotton, coffee, tobacco, sugar cane, sisal, and various oil seeds and rubber trees. Farms that produce alfalfa, Lespedeza, clover, and other forage crops are usually not called plantations. The term "plantation" has usually not included large orchards, but has included the planting of trees for lumber. A plantation is always a monoculture over a large area and does not include extensive naturaly occurring stands of plants that have economic value.

Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI), Kasaragod , Kerala
The Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) wss established in 1916 and later brought under Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) during 1970. The initial mandate of the institute was on crop husbandry of coconut, arecanut, cocoa, oilpalm, cashew and spices. The restructuring process during VII and VIII Plan resulted in the establishment of separate Research Institute/Centres for Spices, Cashew and Oilpalm, but the institute continue to maintain strong linkage with these Institutions. At present the Institute has a countrywide research network of four regional stations, four research centres and 17 Centres under AICRP on palms. Besides, the institute also hosts the headquarter of Indian Society of Plantation Crops.

First National Forest Policy of India:
Appreciating the necessity of developing forests, the government of India declared its first forest policy in 1952. According to this policy, it was decided to raise steadily the area under forests to 100 million hectares or 33 % for the country as a whole. The target area was to provide green cover over two thirds of the land area in the hills and mountains. The main objectives of forest policy under the Five-Year Plans were:
• To increase the productivity of forests
• To link up forest-development with various forest-based industries and
• To develop forests as a support to rural economy.

New Forest Policy, 1988
The 1952 forest policy had failed to stop the serious depletion of forest wealth over the years. Accordingly, it became imperative to evolve a new strategy of forest conservation. The government of India announced its new forest policy in December 1988. The important features of this policy are:
• Role of tribal in forests recognized: The new policy enunciates that all agencies responsible for forest management, including forest development corporations should associate tribal people closely in the protection, regeneration and development of forests.
• Depletion of forest area and the target for green cover The new policy reiterates that green cover should be extended to over two-thirds of that land area in the hills and mountains and that the total forest area in the country should be raised to 100 million hectares or 33 % of the total geographical area in the country.
• Discouragement to forest-based industries The new forest policy states that no forest based enterprises except at the village or cottage level will be set up in the future, unless it is first cleared, after a careful study of the availability of raw materials.
• End the system of private forest contractors The new forest policy advocates an end to the system of contractors working the forests. The contractors will be replaced by institutions such as tribal cooperatives, government corporations, etc.
• Forest land not to be diverted to non-forest uses The forest department used to assign forestland to individuals or nongovernment agencies for the purpose of reforestation.
• Participatory Forest Management System This new strategy involves rural people, particularly women and tribal community who have intimate knowledge of plant species, their growth characteristics, utility and medicinal value, etc. They also know the specific requirements of fuel, fodder, timber and other non-food products.

The adoption of the new strategy has led to several positive outcomes, such as:
• Change in the attitude and relationships of local communities and forest officials towards each other and the forests
• Improvement in the condition of forests
• Reduction in encroachments
• Increase in the income of local people and
• Involvement of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in forest research, tree planting, promotion of productivity, etc.