Rotary Club of Coimbatore G-38 handed over 50,000 seedballs to the District Forest Officer, Coimbatore on 30.7.2019. Commenting about the activity, D.Venkatesh, DFO, TN Forest Department said ” the need to grow more trees is high for clean air and more rain. Planting trees in forest areas is a challenge. We had practices like aerial sowing but the germination percentage couldn’t achieve maximum potential. But thanks to Seedball technique, it serves incredibly well. Prior to the time of rain, we could disperse it in forest area and nature would take care.
Aerial Sowing doesn’t require human effort as an helicopter disperses the seeds from air. But making seed needs manpower. When children are involved in making seed balls, they understand the value of plant life. Rotary’s donation of 50,000 seedballs will be really useful for the forest dept. South West Monsoon, when it picks pace, we can sow it in the forest areas in 1 or 2 days. ”
A.V.Pathy, IPDG, Millionaire Governor, RI 3201 said “Last year, Rotary DI- 3201 started a program titled “Just a Million”. The main aim of the program is to provide food, water and smiles to 10 lakh people in our RI District. Beside this, 10 lakh ounce of blood for 10 lac people , getting 10 lakh USD from the Rotary Foundation and using it for the benefit of the needy and planting 10 lac sapling was our agenda . We had already planted 7, 50, 000 saplings and when we were thinking about fulfilling the planting of saplings, we thought that planting via seedballs would be incredibly useful.
With the support of school children in Udumalapet, we have made around 3 lakh seedballs. In Shanthivanam – a Rotary initiative has been given 1,50,000 seedballs. Now in Coimbatore, we wished to work with Forest Department and met the District Forest Officer. We have given him 50,000 seedballs. These seeds will be sown in Mettupalayam area.
. The effort for producing seedballs was taken up Rtn. Kulasekaran. We did this because the need for oxygen for every individual is high but availability is low. Trees can surely give us that needed. All Rotary Clubs have lent their support in this initiative.”