Andhra, TN and Maharashtra get timeline to export red sandal wood

Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu will have to finalise the modalities for export of red sanders (red sandal) wood, which has an estimated value of Rs 30-40 lakh a tonne in the global market,
Andhra, TN and Maharashtra get timeline to export red sandal wood

NEW DELHI: Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu will have to finalise the modalities for export of red sanders (red sandal) wood, which has an estimated value of Rs 30-40 lakh a tonne in the global market, within a stipulated time-frame, the government said.

According to a notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, dated May 23, Andhra Pradesh will have to complete the process for export of red sandal by April 30, 2019, while Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu will have to do so by April 30, 2018.

The development will have “major revenue implications for the states and would require strategic planning by state governments”, said Vijay Sardana, a noted agriculture economist.
A case is currently in the Madras High Court on a public interest litigation filed in 1996 opposing the export of red sanders. DGFT has said the export would be subject to the order of the Madras High Court.
Red sandal is an endangered plant species and it is illegal to possess and sell the same.

According to Sardana, red sanders wood is smuggled for its medicinal properties. There is high demand for red sandal in China and Japan, where it fetches higher price.
Red sanders wood is commonly known as red sandalwood, rakta chandan, or lal chandan. It is used for making handicraft items, furniture, traditional Ayurvedic medicines, temple structures, rosary beads, kumkum, among others. It is also used as a puja item.

It is found mainly in the Seshachalam Hill ranges spread across Kadapa, Chittoor and Kurnool in the Rayalaseema region and parts of Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh.
“Time up to August 31, 2018 has been allowed to the governments of Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu to finalise the modalities and complete the process of export of respective allocated quantity of Red Sanders Wood,” the DGFT notification said.

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