Chinese expertise for red sandalwood craft

The Andhra Pradesh Handicrafts Development Corporation (APHDC) is planning to bring Chinese expertise in the red sandalwood handicraft industry. For this, it plans to set up a Rs 10-crore unit near Tirupati. “We are planning to tie up with some Chinese private players, who are involved in the red sandalwood craft, to train our craftsmen,” Y Madhusudan Reddy, managing director, AP Handicrafts Development Corporation, said.

The red sandalwood craft is quite popular in China. Red sandalwood is unique to the state of Andhra Pradesh and is available in the hills of Tirupati, and in Kadapa, Chittoor and Nellore districts. The wood costs Rs 3-5 lakh per tonne, whereas in China the cost is Rs 10-15 lakh. Value addition of the finished products is three times higher than the price of wood, Reddy said.

“As export of the wood is banned, it is mostly smuggled to China to make artefacts and furniture. So, we have taken this initiative of setting up a Chinese handicraft and furniture unit near Tirupati in Chittoor district,” he said. Craftsmen from China will train their Indian counterparts on designs and motifs. Initially, around 100 craftsmen will work at the Tirupati unit.

“We are discussing with many players from China and some have sent their representatives. We have sourced the wood with permission from the state government and started work on a pilot basis in Hyderabad,” he said. By next year, the project is expected to scale up to full capacity. In India, there is not much demand for the craft. Currently, the wood is used in dyes, cosmetics, ayurveda products, and for pujas. However, artefacts and furniture made of these are in great demand in China.