About Sandalwood
Introduction
Sandalwood, commonly known as a Chandan or Srigandha, has been part of Indian culture and heritage for thousands of years. Known for its beautiful fragrance, it is the most expensive tree in the world, with the market value rising by at least 20 to 25% each year. In India, sandalwood and its oil were among the first items traded, along with spices and silk, to the Middle East and other countries. Realizing its value, the Sultan of Mysore declared it the royal tree in 1792, and it continues to retain that place even today. It is said that Sandalwood finds its use in human life, particularly Indian culture and civilizations, from Cradle to Cremation, highlighting its importance and versatility.
Sandalwood Oil is used as a natural fixative for many expensive perfumes in addition to be being popular in the cosmetic and soap industries. In fact, East Indian Sandalwood Oil is one of the most important fixative ingredients, a kg selling for six times more than silver. Its sweet, powerful & long lasting odor which makes it an excellent natural fixative in the scenting of soaps and it blends very well with all kinds of perfume composition.
The oil also has an important place in the indigenous system of Medicine. It is considered a cure against many ailments, from the treatment of headaches to inflammatory skin diseases.
Present and Future status of Sandalwood
There is a high demand for Indian sandalwood because of its unique fragrance quality, its use in medicine, cosmetics and beauty aids, and its appeal to consumers of natural products. In India, sandalwood is mainly distributed on the Deccan Plateau in the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Due to rampant smuggling and illegal trade of Sandalwood, Indian sandalwood supply is becoming very limited and primarily controlled by the government. The current global demand for sandalwood hovers around 6,000 to 7,000 metric tons per year. India currently produces about 200 tons a year, with other foreign nations contributing 400 tons, leaving a shortage of nearly 5,400 tons.
Because of the sharp decline in the sandalwood population in both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states, the Sandalwood Act was amended in 2001 and 2002, respectively, which deregulated the sandalwood business and lifted the government monopoly over sandalwood. Further, the Government of Karnataka has already made an amendment on the sale of Sandalwood through the Forest Department to encourage farmers to cultivate Sandalwood on a commercial scale in recent years, allowing for its cultivation on private lands.
This policy of abolishing their monopoly on sandalwood has generated an interest in public and private sectors to grow sandalwood plantations. The scope for cultivation of sandalwood is very encouraging due to the wide gap between demand and supply. There is a perpetual demand for genuine natural sandalwood oil for the world perfume industry as well as traditional purposes, with a very limited supply that fails to meet these demands. Indian sandalwood fetches 7-8 times more money than Australian sandalwood because of its superior quality. Indian Sandalwood oil also contains the highest amounts of santalol compared to any other Sandalwood oil produced in the world, making it the most expensive.
The price of Indian sandalwood of good Heartwood is currently INR 8,000 – INR 10,000 per kg. The price at the international market is about 2 to 3 times higher than the domestic market. The annual increase of price is going at a premium of more than 20 percent.
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