Marayur sandalwood received a positive response in the auction that concluded on Thursday.
According to officials, in the two-day e-auction held on Wednesday and Thursday, a total of 30,467 kg of sandalwood was sold. Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd., Kerala Forest Development Corporation (KFDC), Oushadhi, Cochin Devaswom Board, the Navamukunda temple, and nine agencies took part in the auction, which fetched a total of ₹37.22 crore.
Marayur Sandal Division Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) M.G. Vinod Kumar said of the total sandalwood sold, 9,418 kg was from other divisions in the State, fetching a total of ₹9.3 crore.
₹3 crore for farmers
“Many farmers in the State are now engaging in sandalwood farming. In the auction, 4,226 kg of sandalwood cultivated by farmers was sold and ₹3 crore will be credited to the farmers’ accounts,” said Mr. Vinod Kumar.
“We hope the market and timely payment will attract more farmers in the State to sandalwood farming,” said the official.
In the auction, a total of ₹1.25 crore was received through the sale of a single tree. “The roots of the tree fetched ₹27.34 lakh. The Forest department extracted the tree from a private land at Kanthalloor. The sandalwood tree was situated in Land Assignment title deed land of Perur Soman and the land owner is not eligible for payment,” said Mr. Vinod Kumar.
