Govt to allow harvest, sale of sandalwood from pvt land: Kerala minister

Kerala Forest Minister A K Saseendran on Friday said the state government will enact legislation permitting the Forest Department to harvest and sell sandalwood trees grown on private land.

He made the announcement while inaugurating the State-level Wildlife Week celebrations organised by the Forest and Wildlife Department at Sree Narayana Guru College, Chelannur.

The minister said farmers will be able to generate additional income through 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 said.

Saseendran added that one crore sandalwood saplings would be planted across Kerala and that farmers would receive the full sale value of sandalwood trees.

He said the government plans to move forward with a comprehensive forest policy.

According to Saseendran, 100 colleges in the state will be designated as Knowledge Partner Institutions to collaborate permanently in research, awareness, and education related to forestry and wildlife.

Students will also be able to take up internships and short research projects, he added.

At the function, the minister inaugurated the district-level launch of the 'tree banking' scheme initiated by the Social Forestry Division.

Awards were also presented to schools and colleges for projects such as Nakshatra Vanam (Star Forest) and Butterfly Gardens.

Forest Department officers and representatives of various civic bodies participated in the event, which concluded with a wildlife quiz.