Kerala to legislate private sandalwood harvesting: Forest minister A K Saseendran

Kozhikode: Kerala Forest Minister A K Saseendran on Friday announced that the state government will introduce legislation allowing the Forest Department to harvest and sell sandalwood trees grown on private land.

Speaking at the inauguration of the State-level Wildlife Week celebrations at Sree Narayana Guru College, Chelannur, Saseendran said the move would enable farmers to earn additional income from sandalwood cultivation.

“As the first step, legislation will be enacted within a year to allow the Forest Department to harvest and sell sandalwood trees grown on private land,” a government release quoted him as saying.

The minister added that one crore sandalwood saplings will be planted across Kerala, with farmers receiving the full sale value of the trees. He also said the government plans to advance a comprehensive forest policy.

As part of the initiative, 100 colleges in the state will be designated as “Knowledge Partner Institutions” to support research, awareness and education in forestry and wildlife. Students will also have opportunities for internships and short-term research projects.

At the event, Saseendran launched the district-level rollout of the ‘tree banking’ scheme introduced by the Social Forestry Division. Awards were presented to schools and colleges for projects including Nakshatra Vanam (Star Forest) and Butterfly Gardens.

Forest Department officers and representatives of local bodies attended the programme, which concluded with a wildlife quiz.

PTI inputs