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Background:

• Sandalwood (Santalum album) is one of the most valuable trees of India.
• It is so valuable that it is also called the dollar earning parasite in global markets.
• High quality Indian sandalwood can be sold for up to 78 lakh rupee per tonne.

Context :

• So in 2009, a police officer of Karnataka planted 1000 sandalwood saplings across his 2.8 hectare farm.
• He also hoped that the trees would earn him around 4 crore rupee when he will retire in 2023.
• However his dream has turned into a burden because of theft & market uncertainty.

What are the Key Developments in Sandalwood Farming ?

1. Historical Context:

• In 1792, Mysore State made sandalwood the Royal Tree.  
• It means that only the government could control & trade sandalwood for over 200 years.
• Landowners can not sell the trees even if they grew naturally on their land.
• But This was changed in 2001 when the Karnataka Forest (Amendment) Act allowed private individuals to plant & grow sandalwood.
• However the government still controll its trade.

2. Regulatory Changes:

• In 2008: Karnataka allowed 2 government agencies (Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited) & (Karnataka State Handicrafts Development Corporation) to buy sandalwood from private growers.
• In 2022: The Karnataka government changed the rules to allow farmers to sell sandalwood to anyone but not just government agencies.
• The government also started programs like Sirichandana Vana & Krishi Aranya Yojana to support sandalwood farming & they also gave out free seedlings to farmers.

3. Challenges for Farmers:

• Illegal smuggling: high demand in countries like China and Japan.
• Other threats: Forest fires, cattle grazing, & various human related activities also endanger this species.
• Uses: Red Sanders are valued for their rich color & medicinal properties.
• And they are also used in cosmetics, medicines, & for making furniture, woodcraft, & musical instruments.

4. Current Situation:

• The sandalwood population in Karnataka has decreased too much.
• In the late 1900s there were only 4360 harvestable sandalwood trees in the state.
• So in 1997, IUCN declared Indian sandalwood as vulnerable due to the scarcity of large trees.
• As of 2022 there are 130000 mature sandalwood treesin Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, & Kerala.
• Sandalwood production of india has dropped from 4000 tonnes in the 1960s to 350 tonnes in 2014.
• Because of the shortfall, India also had to import 20000 kg of sandalwood from Australia between 2019 & 2024. It was worth ₹100 crore.

About Red Sanders:

• Scientific Name: Pterocarpus santalinus
• Native Region: This tree is native to India. It is found in the Eastern Ghats & the forests of Andhra Pradesh.
• Habitat: Red Sanders can grow in rocky, degraded, & fallow lands. where the soil is red, & the climate is hot & dry.

Conservation Status:

• Recently, The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has reclassified Red Sanders or Red Sandalwood as Endangered on its Red List.
• It was previously classified as “Near Threatened” in 2018.
• CITES: Appendix II.
  • so it means that the species is not threatened immediately with extinction but it may become so unless trade is regulated.
• Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972: Schedule II.

About Sandalwood Spike Disease:

• Sandalwood Spike Disease is an infectious disease.
• Cause: It is caused by phytoplasmas. It is a type of bacteria that parasitizes plant tissues & it is spread through insect vectors.
• Current Status: There is no cure for the disease. But Infected trees must be cut down & they should be removed to prevent the disease from spreading.

History of the Disease:

• It was 1st reported in 1899 in Kodagu
• Large-scale impact: A million sandalwood trees were removed in the Kodagu & Mysore regions between 1903 & 1916 to control the disease.

Source: DTE