Pushpa 2 has become the biggest Hindi box office film and is earning a lot. The story of the film is related to the smuggling of red sandalwood. Which is run by a syndicate associated with 'Pushpa'. But this question must have come to your mind that what is so special about red sandalwood, how much is its price per kilo and how big is this business, let's know…
Red sandalwood does not have fragrance
Red sandalwood does not have fragrance like white or yellow sandalwood. Cutting it and rubbing it on sand gives a mild smell. Still its prices are seen touching the sky. Red sandalwood is found in the Seshachalam forest spread across the hills of Tirupati and Kadapa in Andhra Pradesh, which is considered as expensive as gold. There is a demand for this wood abroad.
Its export is banned
Earlier, red sandalwood was sent to Japan, Singapore and UAE apart from China. Although the export of red sandalwood from India is prohibited according to the foreign trade policy, it is smuggled due to high demand abroad. It is used in beauty, traditional medicinal products and high quality furniture and handicrafts etc. But due to their increasing demand, their number has reduced drastically. According to the information, the number of red sandalwood trees has reduced by about 50 percent in the last few years.
What is the price?
Red sandalwood tree is ready in about 20-25 years. It is available in the Indian market for about Rs 20-25 thousand per kg. According to media reports, about 20,000 tonnes of red sandalwood was smuggled from India from 2016 to 2020. Recently, the police recovered red sanders wood near Guntur on the Chennai-Kolkata highway, which was worth Rs 3.5 crore.
