GUWAHATI, June 7 - The Joint Forum of the three State-based tea planters� associations � Assam Tea Planters� Association (ATPA), North Eastern Tea Association (NETA) and the Bharatiya Cha Parishad (BCP) have embarked upon a drive to plant trees in different parts of the State as part of a bid to combat the threat of climate change at the instance of Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
The Forum started the drive today at Golaghat town. Altogether 111 saplings were planted today by the members of the Forum at Golaghat, said the Forum in a press release here.
ATPA chairman Raj Barooah, NETA chairman Manoj Jallan, Tea Research Association vice chairman Prabhat Bezboruah and Tea Board of India vice chairman Bidyananda Barkakoty led the drive at Golaghat today.
The Forum said that Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal conveyed a message to it through Labour Minister Pallab Lochan Das recently to plant trees. Das conveyed the message at a meeting held with the tea industry, said the Forum.
Tea industry is already contributing to the ecological balance by having more than four lakh hectares of land under tea plantation. But there has been large deforestation in Assam over the years. Due to deforestation and other anthropogenic factors, which triggered speedy accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, together with some natural factors, have been making our planet vulnerable to the threat of climate change and the tea industry is also facing the impact of the adverse developments induced by this phenomenon.
In view of this and considering the significance of tree in combating climate change, the three tea producers� associations have decided to fully support the Chief Minister�s initiative for tree plantation and named the scheme as �Plant Trees Conserve Nature,� said the Forum.
