Ecobreves – BRAZIL: Lack of Seeds for Reforestation

By IPS Correspondents and - - Reprint | | Print |

RIO DE JANEIRO, Jul 5 2010 (IPS) - The scarcity of seeds and seedlings of native species is blocking Brazil's plan to plant 20 billion trees over the next five years. “Operation Greenbow” alone requires 200 million seedlings per year, said José Neumar Francelino, reforestation coordinator at the Ministry of Agriculture, referring to the program targeting devastated areas in the Amazon, promoted in alliance with the local and state governments.

The current structure of production has a capacity for just 15 million trees per year, according to the Brazilian Seed and Seedling Association.

The government agricultural research agency EMBRAPA “is conducting an assessment of the situation, and with consolidated information we will able to design strategies for the future,” Francelino told Tierramérica.