The Jewish National Fund announced today that it will spend IL 295 million under its development plans for the years 1972-76 of which IL 170 million is earmarked for land reclamation and IL 95 million for afforestation.
Meir Shamir, head of the JNF’s land development authority, said the plan called for the reclamation of 167,000 dunams for agriculture and 57,000 dunams for settlement building and housing. Another 22,000 dunams will be leveled for dams.
Shamir said the JNF also planned to build 370 kilometers of roads, about 45 percent of which will be within settlements founded since 1967. The afforestation program allocates IL 53 million for the maintenance of existing forests and IL 37 million for planting 60,000 dunams of new woodlands. About IL, 4 million will be invested in the development of picnic facilities.
Shamir-emphasized that settlements could not be established in new areas without accompanying afforestation work anchoring the soil. He said that since the JNF was restricted in its fund-raising activities abroad by government policy, it was incumbent upon the latter to see to it that the necessary financing is available
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