The state government and forest minister Sudhir Mungantivar has taken a step forward to conserve forests by tying up with the global online retail portal, Amazon to sell forest produce which will be developed by the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM).
This is indeed is a first-of-its-kind initiative taken by the Maharashtra government.
As per the report published by Hindustan Times, the state forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar launched the sale of treated teak seeds on Amazon on Saturday, which is on a pilot basis.
In other plans, the state will add more seeds, timber products and herbal medicines produced by FDCM.
| Size | Rates |
| 100 gm | INR 175 |
| 200 gm | INR 275 |
| 400 gm | INR 375 |
Mungantiwar said that the initiative is being taken to achieve the target of planting 50 crore trees by 2019.
UK Agrawal, MD of FDCM told HT that a raw seed has various layers and thus cannot germinate. To ensure a plant germinates, they have to treat the seed, which takes around three months. Once it is ready for germination, it will be up for sale. He added that teak seeds will be made available at reasonable prices for all including farmers for an additional income.
In later stages, FDCM might sell herbal medicines and Amla and Mahua once they get a certificate for the same.