The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : State Government to provide the much-needed push to KSDL

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Feb 19, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

State Government to provide the much-needed push to KSDL

S. Rajendran

NOVEL IDEA: The sandalwood seedlings that will be distributed among farmers.

Bangalore: The State Government has decided to extend support for the total rejuvenation of the Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Limited (KSDL) which manufactures, among other things, the famous Mysore sandal soap, which is popular in the international markets. The sandal soap is being manufactured since 1918.

The Mysore sandal soap, which was recently granted the Geographical Indication Registration Certificate, has become popular in the United States, Japan, Australia and in West Asia.

Exports which were around Rs. 1 crore two years ago are now expected to touch around Rs. 5 crore.

Given the required support, experts in the field have told the Government that the exports could double in two years.

After sustaining losses for nearly a decade, the KSDL is now earning profits and has wiped out the accumulated losses of nearly Rs. 100 crore.

A major constraint in the manufacture of the sandal soap is the serious shortage of sandalwood, and towards this end the Government has now promoted the cultivation of sandalwood in a big way across State rather than depend on sandalwood supplies from other States.

Amendment

Hitherto, private cultivation of sandalwood was banned, leave alone harvesting the sandalwood trees and the sale of sandalwood.

Following a recent amendment to the forest and the tree preservation laws, cultivation is now permitted while harvesting and sale is still vested with the Government.

Minister for Industries Katta Subramanya Naidu told The Hindu that KSDL had launched a unique campaign to motivate farmers to cultivate sandalwood and it was stated that the firm was the only sandal soap manufacturer to use sandal oil which was also extracted in-house.

The sandal oil extraction unit of KSDL was set up by the Maharaja of Mysore Nalawadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar in 1916.

Managing director of KSDL H.V. Parswanath and executive director Babu Siddakumar said that the performance of the soap factory had been badly hit following the shortage of sandalwood. Hence, the Government thought it fit to promote sandalwood cultivation in a big way irrespective of the fact that it would take over 20 years for harvesting.

Oil content

It should be mentioned here that the older a sandalwood tree the higher would be the sandal oil content although a tree would be ready for harvest after 20 years.

During the days of the Maharaja, sandalwood in the southern districts of the State was harvested only after 75 years while it was around 60 years for a teak tree.

Seedlings

Sandalwood is the main raw material required in the manufacture of the sandal soap and with there being an acute shortage of sandalwood, the KSDL with the support by the State Government has commenced the cultivation of sandalwood seedlings which would be distributed to farmers at a highly subsidised rate.

Over two lakh seedlings would be given to the farmers at a nominal rate of Rs. 10 per seedling over the next few months.

The seedlings were presently under cultivation at a captive plantation of KSDL at Shimoga.

KSDL is now procuring sandalwood from auctions in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and several other States in the north. Towards a total requirement of 6,000 tonnes per year, KSDL purchased 1,000 tonnes from Tamil Nadu, 2,500 tonnes from Maharashtra and around 300 tonnes from Kerala.

KSDL, which no longer enjoys any concession from the Karnataka Government in terms of sandalwood, procured 1,200 tonnes from auctions of the Forest Department within the State this year.

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