Kisan Best Business idea: 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 make sandalwood cultivation suitable for the climate of North India, so that this cultivation can not only bring economic prosperity to the farmers, but can also increase sandalwood production across the country.
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 as well as perfume and aroma therapy etc. Many medicines are also prepared from sandalwood in Ayurveda.
Dr. R.K. 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 trend of farmers has increased towards sandalwood cultivation. But due to the huge 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 plans for the last 3 years. We have also taken the good sandalwood plants we have got from this to the fields.
Profitable farming
Senior scientist (agroforestry) Dr. Raj Kumar said that the older the sandalwood tree, the more its price will increase. After 15 years, the price of a tree goes up to about 70 thousand to two lakh rupees. This is a very profitable farming, if a person plants only 50 trees, then after 15 years he will be worth one crore rupees. The average income will exceed Rs 8.25 lakh per year. If 20 trees are planted in case of a daughter or son, the worry of their marriage expenses will end.
Chandan is a parasitic plant
Senior scientist (agro-forestry) Dr. Raj Kumar said that sandalwood is a parasitic plant, that is, it does not take its own food but takes its food from the roots of another tree. Wherever there is a sandalwood plant, another plant has to be planted in the neighbourhood, because sandalwood grows its roots towards the roots of the neighbouring plant and connects its roots with itself and starts taking its food from its food.
Training will be given
A project has started in the institute on sandalwood plant, on which research and technology work is going on. Under this, farmers will also be trained to cultivate sandalwood with a special technique. It will be told how much distance should be between the trees, how much fertilizer and water should be given. Which 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 to be aware of the cultivation of sandalwood. Along with the cultivation of sandalwood, they can also plant fruit trees because the sandalwood tree will take 15 years to grow, so in that time they can get benefits from other sources. But the experts here will tell which fruit trees to plant.