The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), a governmental agency of Japan, has committed more than Rs 15,000 crore to afforestation projects in India, atop executive of the Agency has announced.

Ichiguchi Tomohide, a senior representative at JICA India Office, said that the Agency's first Overseas Development Assistance program, which was launched in 1991, now covers a total of 22 projects in thirteen states of India.

He also announced that JICA was going to organize a two-day workshop on 17th and 18th of February at Fishermans Cove in Chennai to provide a common platform for policy makers and officials of forest department and NGOs to discuss and share best practices.

The Tamil Nadu Afforestation Programme is already in its second phase. It will concentrate on technologies like GIS, human resource development, research, infrastructure development and forest extension. In addition, it will support communities with livelihood opportunities.

More than eight hundred village forest committees and nearly three thousand self-help groups have been formed to achieve afforestation programme goals.

Tomohide also said that Japanese companies would be the engine for the Chennai-Bengaluru-Industrial Corridor (CBIC). The Phase-I of CBIC would be extended up to Bangalore from Chennai and later to Andhra Pradesh. Around 400 Japanese companies are operating near Chennai.