300,000 hectares for tree planting
Nov 28, 2005
THE National Forestry Authority has earmarked 300,000 hectares of land for forest plantation development, an official at the forestry sector, has said.
By Ronald Kalyango
THE National Forestry Authority has earmarked 300,000 hectares of land for forest plantation development, an official at the forestry sector, has said.
The acting executive director of NFA, Isaac Kapalaga, said this at a half-day seminar for Members of parliament who sit on the sessional committee of environment at Hotel Africana recently.
He said tree planting in all the forestry reserves, is to be spearheaded by NFA officials and the private sector.
“The authority plants an approximated 1,000 hectares per annum and we expect it to increase as NFA builds capacity to establish plantations throughout the central forestry reserves, we are confident about the quality of the planted trees, which are far better than those planted in the past,†said Kapalaga.
Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, the minister of Lands and Environment, defended the on going evictions of the forestry encroachers saying it is aimed to averting the looming desertification of the country
He cited areas in Masaka, Kabale, Lyantonde, Hilltops of Ntungamo, Rwenzori and northern parts of the country as the mostly dry areas with large numbers of encroachers.
He blamed Members of Parliament for attacking NFA officials over issues of evicting people from the forestry reserves saying that, “The people you are protecting today will be suffering tomorrow without water, food and firewood.
Members of parliament called for sensitisation and an organised resettlement procedure to cater for their electorate who have been evicted from the reserves.
THE National Forestry Authority has earmarked 300,000 hectares of land for forest plantation development, an official at the forestry sector, has said.
The acting executive director of NFA, Isaac Kapalaga, said this at a half-day seminar for Members of parliament who sit on the sessional committee of environment at Hotel Africana recently.
He said tree planting in all the forestry reserves, is to be spearheaded by NFA officials and the private sector.
“The authority plants an approximated 1,000 hectares per annum and we expect it to increase as NFA builds capacity to establish plantations throughout the central forestry reserves, we are confident about the quality of the planted trees, which are far better than those planted in the past,†said Kapalaga.
Maj. Gen. Kahinda Otafiire, the minister of Lands and Environment, defended the on going evictions of the forestry encroachers saying it is aimed to averting the looming desertification of the country
He cited areas in Masaka, Kabale, Lyantonde, Hilltops of Ntungamo, Rwenzori and northern parts of the country as the mostly dry areas with large numbers of encroachers.
He blamed Members of Parliament for attacking NFA officials over issues of evicting people from the forestry reserves saying that, “The people you are protecting today will be suffering tomorrow without water, food and firewood.
Members of parliament called for sensitisation and an organised resettlement procedure to cater for their electorate who have been evicted from the reserves.