Farming of Sandalwood Trees in North India can boost economical status of farmers and environment of States: Arun Khurmi

Ludhiana: Farmer suicides, pollution in the air due to burning of farm manure, low water level, less profit in agriculture etc are some hot issues that state governments, farmers and general public is facing now a days. But a very effective and successive plan of farming by commercial cultivation of Chandan (Sandalwood)Trees in fields, farm houses, home door steps, boundaries of schools and collages etc can boost the economics of farmers and the person growing it on his private place and environment can also be saved by tree plantation, says Arun Khurmi, an advocate-cum-farmer, Founder and Chairman of Progressive Chandan Farmers Association (PCFA) Punjab [Regd.] and Founder of Khurmi Chandan-Sandalwood Farms, Ludhiana at a press meet on “Plantation, success and economics of Chandan Trees in North India” here recently.
Khurmi further told that Chandan plantation is regularly being in practice in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal, Uttar Pradesh, Gujrat etc from last many decades by Government departments and private cultivators but was not exposed by them for the reason best known to them. But, a few years ago when he went to a government nursery at Mattewara, Ludhiana for purchasing Popular Tress for his farms he saw a number of lush green trees there and on enquiry from Range Officer he came to know that those all are Chandan Trees.

Khurmi said that after the able guidance of DFO, Jalandhar Khushwinder Singh, DFO Patiala Jugraj Singh, DFO Hoshiarpur Anjan Singh, DFO Ludhiana Charanjit Singh, RO Mattewara Mohan Singh, he visited various sites in Punjab at Patiala, Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Amritsar, Sangrur, Ropar etc along with other sites in Haryana, Himachal, Uttar Pradesh, Gujrat etc where Chandan Trees are planted in a big number from last many years. It was a big achievement for Arun Khurmi when he traced that oil contents tests and quality tests are already conducted by the Scientist of Forest Research Institute University, Dehradun and Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Banglore on near about 1500 Chandan trees of 20 years of age at Government Forest Range at Patiala planted by Sh.Pyare Lal Kaler, the then Chief of State Forest Department, Punjab. Arun Khurmi further added that according to these test reports, Chandan trees at Patiala contains 3% oil contents which are equal to South Indian Chandan Trees i.e. average of 2.5% to 4%. He further told that climate and soil of North India is very suitable and good for cultivation of Chandan Trees. Chandan Tree is capable of growing where rainfall is 400mm to even 5000mm and long dry season duration. However Chandan Tree can tolerate extreme temperature of 4 C to 50 C. Chandan being a hemiparasite requires a primary and secondary host plants.
Telling about the economics of the Chandan Tree Arun Khurmi told that 225 Chandan trees along with 195 Amla Trees as primary host plant and 418 Malia Dupia Trees as secondary host plant can be planted in 1 Ace of land in block farming and intercropping of routine crops can also be done in between. He further told that trees can also be planted in row system at a distance of 10 ft each with a lemon tree in between the two in farm houses, boundaries of school collages etc and other buildings also. Further he added that from 1 chandan tree we can get 15 to 20 kg of Heart Wood after 12 to 15 yrs and the market rate of Heart Wood is Rs 12000 per kg. so the rate of per tree sits near about 2 to 2.5 lakh as per today’s rate. And on the other side Amla and lemon tree starts giving fruit of approx Rs 1000 to Rs 1500 per tree per year after 3 yrs and additional income of intercropped crop can be added in farmer’s profits.
Khurmi further told that after surveying all the sites of Chandan Plantation, he further visited Banglore to meet Dr Syam Vishwanath, a renowned Scientist at IWST, Banglore and the person who established all the three test plots of Chandan in Punjab at Hoshiarpur, Ropar and Ludhiana in 2003 and after taking training and studying about soil, environment, temperature, climate, diseases, economics, market, processing and security system of Chandan Trees now he has himself planted Chandan Trees at his Khurmi Chandan-Sandalwood Farms at Machiwara, Ludhiana and further for the better future, training, marketing and processing of wood and other products of the farmers a society namely Progressive Chandan Farmers Association (PCFA) Punjab is formed and got registered. Further he is going to establish a nursery of 1 lakh Chadan Plants at Ludhiana with the seeds and pedigree of the old Chandan Trees of Punjab so that the quality and quantity in production should be increased as per North India environment which are ready for sale. Arun Khurmi also told that he is very thankful to the Chief Conservator Sh. Saurav Gupta and Chief Conservator S. Mahabir Singh both from Punjab Forest Department for bringing a subsidy scheme on Chandan Plantation under Sub-Mission on Agro Forestry from Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, Government of India and State Governments which will boost the financial status of the farmers and state.