Sat Sep 13 10:35:31 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a summary and a news article based on the provided text:
**Summary:**
The Kerala government has approved a draft amendment to the Kerala Forest Act of 1961. This amendment aims to encourage sandalwood cultivation by allowing farmers who grow sandalwood on private land to sell their timber through registered Forest Department depots. The farmers will receive the proceeds from these sales. The current law is restrictive, even penalizing landowners if sandalwood is stolen from their property. The amendment also allows for the cutting of sandalwood trees on land needed for building a house for personal use. Certain restrictions remain, such as not allowing the cutting of sandalwood trees reserved for government purposes on assigned land until land assignment rules are amended. The bill also introduces a provision to allow certain forest offenses to be compounded with court permission.
**News Article:**
**Kerala Approves Bill to Boost Sandalwood Cultivation, Empower Farmers**
**THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, September 13, 2025** – The Kerala Cabinet has approved the draft Kerala Forest Amendment Bill, 2025, a move expected to significantly boost sandalwood cultivation across the state and empower local farmers. The amendment to the Kerala Forest Act, 1961, will allow farmers cultivating sandalwood trees on private land to sell their produce through registered depots under the Forest Department, with the profits going directly to the farmers.
“This Bill is a game-changer for sandalwood cultivation in Kerala,” stated Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran. “By ensuring farmers receive fair market value for their sandalwood, we are incentivizing them to grow more trees and contribute to the state’s economy.”
Currently, the market price for sandalwood ranges from ₹4,000 to ₹7,000 per kilogram, depending on quality. Under the existing law, landowners are even penalized if sandalwood is stolen from their own property, a deterrent to planting the trees. The new bill aims to reverse this discouraging trend.
The amendment also addresses another key concern: the difficulty in obtaining permission to cut sandalwood trees, even on private land. The draft Bill will now allow the cutting of trees on land required for building a house for one’s own use.
However, restrictions will remain in place for sandalwood trees reserved for government purposes on land allotted by the Revenue department, pending amendments to land assignment rules. The bill also introduces a provision for compounding some forest offenses with the permission of the court, which could help to resolve some legal challenges more efficiently.
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