A central government-appointed committee on the sandalwood industry has revealed that India’s precious sandalwood (Santalum album) is fast disappearing due to the strict control and bureaucratic stranglehold, scaring growers from planting legally.
Highlighting that bureaucratic hurdles are choking the industry, the ‘Report of the Sandalwood Development Committee’ also pointed at outdated state laws, complex transit permits and the old notion that ‘sandalwood belongs to the state’ discouraging private cultivation. Even in states with reforms, the rules remain confusing, the committee’s report felt and urged a unified national policy recognising private ownership, simplifying harvest norms and ensuring fair, transparent markets. India was once the undisputed global leader in production of sandalwood oil but has since lost its advantage to Australia and Pacific nations which modernised cultivation and trade practices. Sandalwood forests in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, once full of these trees, are now nearly bare due to decades of over-cutting, illegal trade and poor forest management.
The committee recommended setting up a National Sandalwood Board to bring together farmers, researchers, industries and forest departments. In addition, community participation and fair profit-sharing are crucial for long-term success, it said.
The report was of the view that ‘reviving sandalwood is not just a forestry job — it’s a national mission linking environment, culture, and livelihood.’ In its recommendation to make the revival of sandalwood a national mission, the report highlighted the glory of tree products like sandalwood oil which is cherished worldwide for its fragrance and medicinal value and continues to enjoy immense demand.
According to the report, India still holds the key to revival. With the right incentives, scientific research and policy push, the country could reclaim its lost glory. A renewed sandalwood sector would not only boost exports but also create thousands of rural jobs, revitalising a proud symbol of Indian heritage. The report highlighted weak natural regeneration as both ecologically and economically challenging at the edge and recommended better research and development for genetic improvement, pest and disease control and new planting models. The committee, first constituted in 2021, was chaired by former union finance secretary Ratan Prakash Watal. It recommended sustainable agro-forestry where sandalwood is grown with other crops, as a practical model.
The report emphasised the combination of science with traditional knowledge to make farming both profitable and green aiming to restore its lost glory. It was also recommended that the adoption of tissue culture and modern nursery techniques can help expand plantations fast.
