Quthing __ The Quthing department of Environment, Forestry, Range Management, Water and Soil Conservation has targeted to plant more than 20 000 forestry composed of fruit trees during the 2024/2025 financial year.

The district target is to plant more than 10 000 fruit trees in community orchards while forestry trees will be planted in areas identified for planting of public forests.

In an interview with the Agency, the District Coordinator for Department of Environment, Forestry, Range Management, Water and soil conservation Mr. Sechaba Monakale said forestry trees will be planted for prevention of soil erosion and other purposes while fruit trees will be planted for promotion of fruits production in the district.

Mr. Monakale highlighted that some trees will be planted in two district Water and soil conservation catchments in which various activities that include bush control and construction of stone lines are carried out by labourers recruited by the department.

He said the water and soil conservation activities of the department are carried out at Ha-Mokhameleli in Moyeni Constituency and Ha-Kelebone and Ts'itsong in Qhoali constituency, adding that activities that are carried out in the catchments are expected to continue beyond financial year 2024/2025 until Impact of the activities is visible.

He further said the district department is working hand in hand with different projects in the district that include Improving adaptive capacity of vulnerable and food insecure populations in Lesotho (IACOV), Integrated Watershed Management for Improved Agro-pastoral Livelihoods Sebapala Catchment and Regeneration of Livelihoods and Landscape (ROLL) for successful implementation of its activities. More than 15 000 trees that include forestry and fruit trees were planted in Quthing district last year.