Sri Gandham - Indian Sandal Wood (santalum album cultivation

Sri Gandham - Indian Sandal Wood (santalum album cultivation

World’s most popular and costliest wood is sandal wood. Sandal is widely known as Chandanamu, Srigandhamu in south India and Chandan in North. It is one of the renowned trees from ancient days. Hindus use this wood and its paste for pooja and religious use. Sandal wood is a small evergreen tree, and partial root parasite, attaining a height of 12-13 meters, with slender drooping as well as erect branching. The tree starts flowering at an early age of 2 to 3 years, Fruit is drupe, purplish, when fully mature and single seeded.

1.1 Botanical Name: Santalum album Inn.

1.2 Family: Santalaceae

1.3 Regional Names:English : Sandal tree, White sandal tree.

Hindi :Safed Chandan, Santal.

Gujarathi :Sukhad.

Telugu :Chandanamu, Gandhapuchekka, Sri Gandhamu

Kannada :Bavanna, Srigandadamara, Agarugandha, Srigandha.

Tamil :Chandanam.

Malayalam :Chandanam

Pragmatic loosening of state clamps encourages commercial plantation, but much remains.

The severe shortage of sandalwood (chandan), hitting user industries like perfume, soaps and medicine, has encouraged pragmatic changes in the rules on cultivation, encouraging the corporate sector to embark on plantation of the endangered wood species.

There are no clear statistics on the extent of sandalwood cultivation in India. It is estimated, however, that in recent years, there has been new plantation on as much as 15,000 acres in southern states and parts of western and northern India.

Companies and a host of individual farmers with large land holdings have taken up commercial plantation of sandalwood in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra. Significant, since the sector was under strict government control; the wood can still be sold only through government auctions anywhere.

Till recently, there were severe restrictions on cultivation of sandalwood. If it happened to come up, the plant became the property of the state. The restrictions have been relaxed; cultivation is now allowed and one may apply for a government subsidy for doing so.

The changes followed an alarming decline in natural plantations across southern states in the last decade, due to rampant smuggling and illegal trade. The auction of sandalwood by different state governments dropped from a high of 2,500 tonnes in 1993-94 to just 300 tonnes in 2008-09. The governments of Tamil Nadu and Kerala collectively auctioned less than 300 tonnes during 2010-11. Tamil Nadu conducts auctions thrice a year, while Kerala holds it once a year. Karnataka, a leading producer, has not held any auction for the past three years.

The price of sandalwood has, correspondingly, seen a sharp rise, from Rs 1 lakh per tonne in 1990 to Rs 50 lakh per tonne last year. The sale of wood attracts 12 per cent value added tax and 14 per cent excise duty when used as an ingredient in soaps by companies like KS&DL. Sandalwood oil has surged from Rs 20,000 per kg in 2001-02 to Rs 140,000 per kg in 2010-11.

Sandalwood grows prominently in arid, parched land. It is the key ingredient in the manufacture of attar, perfume, soaps and toiletries, chewing scented tobacco, pan masala and medicines. The oil is used to treat a variety of medical ailments. It is also supposed to be a mood enhancer.

In natural conditions, the sandalwood tree takes at least seven years to produce scented heartwood and its growth is restricted due to climatic factors, soil, vegetation, fire, grazing and human interventions. Under these conditions, a fully developed tree requires about 30-35 years for harvesting.

Plantation-grown trees show heartwood formation in about three to four years and develop good heartwood, ranging in diameter from 15 cm to 25 cm, in about 12-15 years. Harvesting at this age is much more economical and commercially viable. The tree is a partial root parasite, requiring another host tree by its side, through which it draws nutrient for good growth. 

Room for growth
At present, the Tamil Nadu forest department holds about 650 tonnes of sandalwood and releases 150-200 tonnes every three months. The forest department of Kerala holds less.

A large number of farmers and individuals with large land holdings have taken up commercial plantations in Karnataka, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Presently, there is no natural regeneration of sandalwood trees in the southern states, except Kerala, where close to 3,000 acres is under natural cultivation.