Bengaluru Rural MP bats for national Sandalwood Board to aid growers

Dr. C.N. Manjunath, Bengaluru Rural MP, has urged the Union government to establish a separate national Sandalwood Board to address the concerns of sandalwood growers across the country.

Raising the issue in the recently concluded Parliament, Dr. Manjunath said Karnataka, known as the “land of sandalwood”, accounts for nearly 65% of India’s total sandalwood production, highlighting the crop’s cultural, traditional and economic importance to the State.

He pointed out that sandalwood cultivation, harvesting and marketing are currently regulated by varying policies across States, resulting in procedural difficulties for growers. The lack of uniform regulations had created challenges in securing permissions from Forest and Home Departments, affecting cultivation, harvest and sale, he said.

On lines of Coffee Board

The cardiologist-turned-politician said a national-level Sandalwood Board, on the lines of the Coffee Board and as recommended by NITI Aayog, would bring uniform central legislation governing sandalwood cultivation, trade and marketing.

The proposed board, he said, would encourage farmers to take up sandalwood cultivation by providing a transparent and farmer-friendly regulatory framework. It would also facilitate open market access, strengthen anti-theft measures, improve access to institutional credit, and enhance transparency in sandalwood import and export.

He also met Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and submitted a memorandum seeking the establishment of the board, outlining the concerns of sandalwood growers. He said the proposed body would help improve farmers’ incomes and promote sustainable growth of the sandalwood sector.