Sandalwood, an integral part of India’s cultural heritage, can now become a new and profitable business for farmers. This tree, which has been used in worship, Ayurveda, and cosmetics for centuries, is now becoming a powerful means of profit in agriculture as well. Under a new technological initiative, Indian researchers have made significant efforts to adapt sandalwood cultivation to the climate of North India, which can not only bring economic prosperity to farmers but also increase sandalwood production across the country. Can do.
Let us tell you that sandalwood has been associated with Indian culture for centuries. Along with applying tilak in worship, its wood in the form of white and red sandalwood is used for making idols, decorative items, performing havan and making incense sticks. Used for perfume and aroma therapy etc. In Ayurveda, many medicines are also prepared from sandalwood.
Dr. RK Yadav, Director of the country’s only Central Soil and Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, said that sandalwood is cultivated the most in South India. Because after the central government lifted the ban on sandalwood cultivation in 2001, the inclination of farmers has increased towards sandalwood cultivation. But due to severe lack of technology, its cultivation could not get the expected pace. Now the experts of our institute have tried to adapt sandalwood clones from different areas to the environment of North India, research has been done on these schemes for the last 3 years. The good sandalwood plants that we got from this, we have also taken to the fields.
profitable farming
Senior Scientist (Agro-Forestry) Dr. Raj Kumar said that the older the sandalwood tree becomes, the more its value will increase. After 15 years, the price of a tree increases from Rs 70 thousand to Rs 2 lakh. This is a very profitable farming, if a person plants only 50 trees then after 15 years he will be worth Rs 1 crore. The average income will exceed Rs 8.25 lakh per year. If there is a daughter or a son in the house, if 20 saplings are planted then the worries about their wedding expenses will be over.
Sandalwood is a parasitic plant
Senior Scientist (Agro-Forestry) Dr. Raj Kumar told that sandalwood is a parasitic plant, that is, it does not take its own nutrition but takes its nutrition from the roots of another tree, where there is a sandalwood plant, there is some other plant in the neighborhood. It has to be planted because sandalwood extends its roots towards the roots of the neighboring plant and attaches itself to its roots and starts taking its nourishment from it.
training will be given
A project has been started in the institute on sandalwood plant, on which research and technology work is going on. Under this, farmers will also be given training to cultivate sandalwood using special techniques. In this it will be told what should be the distance between trees, how much fertilizer and water should be given. What other crops can be grown along with sandalwood? Especially work is being done on pulse crops etc. which require less water.
Dr. Raj Kumar appealed to the farmers and said that farmers should be aware about sandalwood cultivation. Along with sandalwood farming, they can also plant fruit trees because it will take 15 years for the sandalwood tree to grow so that they can get benefits from the other side. But the experts here will tell which fruit trees to plant.
Input: Mukul Satija
