A socio-economic survey was conducted, and data were collected from five participants as per designed questionnaire. Financial viability was expressed in terms of net present worth (NPW), benefit-cost ratio (B/C ratio) and internal rate of return (IRR). Official information was collected from the office records available at the DFO office, Dinajpur and Madhyapara Range Office. A discussion was held with the Range Officer in order to gather relevant qualitative information. A group discussion was also held involving three participants.In the study area agri-silviculatural system was followed where rows of trees were planted in two lines leaving 9 meter alleys in between tree rows for growing agricultural crops. Tree spacing was 1.5m x 1.5m. Mainly Eucalyptus camaldulensis and Acacia mangium were planted for a rotation of 7 years. Rice, sugarcane, maize, pulse, vegetables and sesame were mainly grown as intercrops. It was learnt from interview that crop production was hampered due to shade effect ad root interventions from the third year. The size of each allotted plot was 1.21 hectares.
The FD invested Tk. 3,000 (43Tk.=1US$) and Tk. 1,800 in each plot in the first and second year respectively for raising plantation. This amounts included costs of nursery, fertilizer and wages. In one of the five plots the FD planted pineapple in the alleys on experimental basis. The Department gave Tk. 600 to each of the remaining four participants in the first year to procure inputs for growing agricultural crops. For pineapple the FD invested Tk. 4,675 in the first year. In the third year this pineapple plot was auctioned to the allottee at Tk. 1,500. All other farm costs were incurred by the farmers themselves. Thus the total investment made by the FD in the first year was Tk. 23,000 in the second year Tk. 9,000 and in the 9th year Tk. 5,000 (various unrecorded costs not realized through cash recovery of service payment) for all plots together. The financial returns accruing to the FD were Tk. 1,500 in the third year (pineapple auction) and Tk. 1, 38,090 in the 9th year.The farmers incurred required input costs in addition to FD assistance for growing intercrops in the first year. From the second year onward the farmers had to bear all the costs fully for growing agricultural crops. The total cost in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 9th year were Tk. 14,400, Tk. 13,890, Tk. 23,800, Tk. 6,610, Tk. 690, Tk. 360 and Tk. 11,950 respectively. The farmers as labors were priced at Tk. 30 per day for themselves.Participants’ benefits came from agricultural crops (100%), cyclone damaged trees (100%), wages paid by FD in the 1st and 2nd year and sales proceeds of trees in the 9th year (50%). The total stream of participants’ benefits from all the five plots together stood at Tk. 16,150, Tk. 12,750, Tk. 28,100, Tk. 24,500, Tk. 8,400, Tk. 2,225 and Tk. 1,44,690 in the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 9th year respectively.