Enhancing Farm Profitability through Boundary Plantation of Poplar and Eucalyptus in Punjab

Punjab is an agricultural state having 5.93 per cent area under forest cover during 2021 as against the recommendation of 20 per cent. To increase the area under forests, the only feasible solution would be the adoption of different agroforestry practices. The present study is an attempt to examine the financial viability of boundary plantation of poplar and eucalyptus. The study is based on a primary survey of 100 farmers selected from two major agroforestry-based districts namely Ludhiana and Hoshiarpur. It was found that boundary plantation of both poplar and eucalyptus was financially viable as it provided extra income to the farmers at negligible cost. Moreover, poplar was more profitable as compared to eucalyptus owing to its short gestation period.