THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Twenty-five thousand fruit trees will be planted in Palakkad by ‘Handicrops’, a company formed for the betterment of differently-abled poor people.
The fruit trees are being planted to provide shelter and food to birds and animals.
The trees will be planted beside Palakkad- Coimbatore national highway, on the banks of Chullimada river in between Kanjikode and the Walayar. The project aims to plant 15,000 saplings and 10,000 seeds of trees including Rambutan. The company will take care of these trees for the next three years.
One or two-year-old plants are being used to ensure better chances of their survival.
“The projects to grow trees mostly fall flat because of lack of proper care. Usually, we use 3-4 months old saplings that won’t survive long without water for long. When we plant them after growing them for some time, more plants will survive. We won’t be planting any new saplings in the next three years. We have over 200 volunteers who will be part of the project and more are welcome. We are limiting it to Palakkad, for now, to keep a close eye and make it a success,” said Lekha S Kumar, chairperson, Handicrops.
The saplings will be maintained with drip irrigation method. The project is designed as one for mass participation from the public.