Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan
| Photo Credit:
GIRI KVS
Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Forest Minister Pawan Kalyan has directed the Forest Department to scale up the use of drones for seed ball dispersal to ensure the restoration of 30,000 hectares of degraded forests.
The initiative is crucial to achieve the target 50 per cent green cover in the state, Pawan Kalyan said in a review meeting in Amaravati on Saturday, July 25.
The state government has accelerated its forest restoration programme by deploying drones to disperse seed balls across nearly 1,000 acres of degraded and inaccessible forest land with a final target of achieving 50 per cent green cover in the state.
Officials said over 30 million seed balls have been prepared, with more than 6.3 million already dispersed across 6,500 hectares statewide. Around 5.9 million seed balls were manually distributed over 6,000 hectares, while drones were used for the first time to reach deep valleys and remote forest areas.
Rajamahendravaram Circle recorded the highest distribution, followed by Visakhapatnam and Kurnool forest divisions.
Pawan Kalyan said seed ball dispersal must be aligned with rainfall and soil moisture conditions, warning that El Niño-related dry spells could affect germination.
He also instructed officials to ensure protection and survival of saplings, according to a release.
Published on July 25, 2026
