Sandalwood permissions required for harvesting and markets

I planted sandalwood about 8 years back, after reading about the demand for it and financial benefits. If any of the forum members have access to information about the permissions required to harvest and sell the wood, I will greatly appreciate the information or reference to sources of information. I am looking for this info, specifically related to Andhra Pradesh. Different states may have their own regulations. I found out that Australian companies have started growing Indian sandalwood (Santalum Album) about 15 years ago on a large scale ( about 15,000 hectares) and they either have exported or ready to export the oil to India.
This information will be extremely useful for members planning to grow sandalwood or to invest into sandalwood farms promoted by businessmen.

Dear Mr. Madhuganta,
The Andhra Pradesh Forest Act - 1967 provides for the possession, sale and transit of sandal wood under the:

  1. The Andhra Pradesh Sandalwood Possession Rules,1969
  2. The Andhra Pradesh Sandalwood and Redsanderswood Transit Rules,1969
    You can access these in AP Forest Department web site at forest.ap.nic.in/ap_forest_laws.htm
    C. Siva Sankra Reddy

Hi All,
please let me know if its a good idea to have few sandalwood trees with proper forest department permission .
It is like diversifying the long term portfolio :slight_smile: . I have just done some online search and looks like a income of 1 crore / acre looks practical after 15 years . Is it advisable to have 30/40 trees in the mid of farm looking at security after few years .

Regards,
Prashant

No permission is needed from forest department for raising sandal wood trees. However permission is required from the forest department at the time of harvest and transport of the wood.
Sandal wood is primarily used for the extraction of sandal oil. Only heart wood with dark colour has good oil content and this has good market. Sap wood with light yellow colour has no oil. However this sap wood is used for making artifacts and it may not fetch as much price as heart wood with oil.
Normally the sandal wood trees raised in the farm lands do not develop good heart wood because of the most favorable conditions they receive in the farms. Sandal wood growing under harsh edaphic and climatic conditions like in the dry forests put on good heart wood but slow growing. I understand there are some farmers in Nellore district Andhra Pradesh that have taken up pure sandal wood plantations with drip irrigation. I do not know what is their experience.
It may be a good idea to raise sandal wood along the periphery of the farm lands. Institute of Wood Science Technology Bangalore raises nurseries of sandal wood with good high yielding, disease resistance strains for distribution to the public at cost.

Sir, I just wanted the information about where I can sell grown sandalwood in maharashtra or in other states from Maharashtra, and please let me know if there private companies or agencies available for buying sandalwood.

Hi Sir this suresh from kuwait i want make sandalwood plantation in narasapur i need some adviose from u can i contact in phone …r send ur mail id

regards,
Suresh.

You are right in that Australian companies growing Indian sandalwood big time. Don’t know it’s good or bad news but the largest Sandalwood company in Australia (https://quintis.com.au/) has recently filed for Receivership/Bankruptcy as they had issues with cash flows to run the business along with huge variation in the expected yield vs projected yield (they expected about 20kg heartwood but in reality it was about 10kilos in their first harvest and significant drop in prices). Someone else would buy the business and run it but investor sentiment on this plantation got affected badly. Thanks - Sunil

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Continuing the discussion from Sandalwood permissions required for harvesting and markets:

Respected sir. I have few doubts about the permission required for sandal wood harvesting. Whether we have to take permission initially before plantation like where we are going to plant and how many trees we have planned per acre like that any application need to submit or at the time of harvesting we have to take permission. And where to take the permission means which office and the procedure for that. Will u please help me in this

Existing Environment /Forest related Law not favorable for any plantation.
We have to think logical and practical . No permission required while plantation.
But Required permission while harvesting. Why Farmers required permission 15 years after hardwork and investment ? On the other hand , too much politics on going many years to resolve farmers crisis in India , So things are not that rosy, people are just planting by watching ytube and other half information.

Just think about attitude and ground reality to obtain approval to cut the tree.
It is never going to happen that you went to the office with request and they approved or there is a online approval system.

One will wait for as long as 15 years to face hurdle and oiling Govt Officers & Govt officers just waiting there for such rare opportunity to bribed.

The existing law is anti-environmental. There should be very simple and straight forward rules. What Govt should do :slight_smile:

  1. Private party not required permission of plantation and not required for harvesting.
    anotehr scenario
  2. Obtain permission at the time of plantation - No further permission required for harvesting .Plantation approval must be enough for harvesting and trading/transportation.

Similarly the same rules must be applicable other extinct plant and animals like deer and bird like peacock and many more.

Private party can breeding , trading - This way Farmers and environment problem can be reduced and ecology imbalance can be minimise.

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