SANDAL WOOD CULTIVATION GIVE MANY MORE CRORES TO UUUUUUU...!!

The Javadhi hills are a vital component of the Eastern ghat. These hill ranges inhabit wide range of flora and fauna. The unique feature of these hills is the presence of “dry evergreen forest types”. With a number of splashing streams, deep ravines, Crisp Mountain air – Javadhi hills have a discreet charm that one cannot miss. What makes it more attractive is the presence of sweet and the unique smelling species found here-the sandalwood. Sandalwood is the fragrant heartwood of species of genus Santalum.

In India, the genus is represented by Santalum album Linn. There are about 19 species of genus Santalum found in the world. The Santalum album is native to India and has highly fragrant heartwood and contains high percentage of sandalwood oil.

In India, sandalwood is found all over the country. Whereas 90 per cent of the are is in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, states covering about 8,300 sq.km. in Tamil Nadu, it is distributed in an area of about 3,600 sq.km in the districts of Vellore, Salem, Dharmapuri, Coimbatore, Erode and Nilgiris. The other states where the sandalwood trees are found are Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Manipur.

The sandalwood trees grow well from sea level up to 1,800 m altitude in different types of soil like sandy, clayey red soils, lateritic, loamy and even in black cotton soils. Trees growing on stony or gravelly soils are known to have more highly scented wood. The trees flourish where there is moderate rainfall of about 600 to 1,600 mm annually. The sandalwood tree is a small evergreen tree and is an obligatory partial root parasite, which attains a height of about 10 to 12 meter and girth of about 1 to 2.5 meter over a period of about 50 to 60 years growth time.

The sandalwood grown in Javadhi hills is best known for its fragrance and high oil content. History reveals that this species is documented as early as about 3,000 years because of its highly valued scented heartwood. Superior type of sandalwood tree populations was identified in Chitteri and Dharmapuri areas in Tamil Nadu and they acted as good seed sources.


The sandalwood trees start fruiting from the second year onwards and will fruit twice a year, once during April – May and again in September – October. The fruits are highly preferred by the birds and hence the natural propagation of the sandalwood seeds is rampant. Hence, there is no shortfall in the production, propagation and regeneration of sandalwood trees both inside the forest and outside the forest areas.

Since it is a partial root parasite, it can not grow without the support of host trees. Some of the important host trees are Cajanus cajan (in nursery) and it can develop compatible association with various other trees species like Neem, Tamarind, Casuarinas, Eucalyptus, Acacia, Pongamia and a host of forest species including the wild grass.

The trees can grow up to 60 to 80 years and can yield good quality of fragrant timber, which is something unique. The sandalwood is moderately hard, heavy, and strongly scented and yellow or brown in colors. The wood is a closely grained and is amenable for carving, hence used for making idols and inlay ivory works. The oil content in the sandalwood varies from 3 to 6 per cent and more oil content is found in the root portion of the tree. The Javadhi hills in Vellore district are known to have sandalwood trees growing naturally in the forest areas, and it has been extracted for its commercial value from the colonial period. The first forest department was initiated in Vellore in 1865 for managing the forests of these hills, and extraction of highly valued sandalwood trees.

The Forest department has contributed crores of rupees of revenue to the government by extraction of sandalwood. Owing to, departmental extraction and illegal removal of sandalwood trees from the forest in an uncontrolled manner, the species is facing threat. No matured trees of extractable girth are present in the forests anywhere else except in Vellore Forest Division. These trees are the live examples of the glory of the sandalwood growth in this area.

SANDAL WOOD OIL FOR EXPORTING

As a part of this exercise, three sandalwood government depots were established at Tirupattur, Salem and Sathyamangalam. The departmentally extracted sandalwood and also offence related seized / confiscated sandalwood is processed, cleaned, stored and sold at regular intervals.

A sandalwood tree after extraction will be cleaned from its bark and other waste portions, and the remaining useful portion is sorted and classified into about 19 classifications right from sawdust category to big billets category. A sandalwood oil extraction factory was also established at Thekkupattu near Tirupattur for departmental production of sandalwood oil.

FARMERS ARE WELCOME TO EARN LOT

Now, the government has relaxed certain restrictions exercised in the past and is now encouraging private farmers and other industrialists to cultivate the sandalwood trees in their private lands. In order to encourage this activity the government framed the Tamil Nadu sandalwood trees on Patta lands rules in 2002 and approved it in November 2008. Under these rules, anyone can cultivate sandalwood in their private patta land, but the farmers are not permitted to fell and sell the sandalwood on their own. Whereas, harvesting, cleaning and the sale of the sandalwood after its maturity will be conducted by the forest department. Eighty per cent of the net sale proceeds will be given to the sandalwood tree owners within a period of three months from the date of extraction.

Hence interested farmers can come forward to cultivate sandalwood and earn more money from sandalwood farming. This step will also help in resurrection of sandalwood species both inside and outside the forest areas. Hence, the pride of Javadhi hills can be seen and preserved both inside the forest areas in the natural condition, and also outside the forest areas in the captive farming conditions. Sandalwood will not only be essential for human beings but also will be highly useful for the flora and fauna of these hills.

Tamil Nadu Sandalwood Possession Rules 1970

Owing to its high commercial value and the related threats, the government had exercised complete control on the growth, extraction and sale of sandalwood trees. Various acts and rules were enacted in this direction like the Tamil Nadu Sandalwood Transit Rules 1967, the Tamil Nadu Sandalwood Possession Rules 1970, etc.

GREEN INDIA AGRICULTURE