Officer stakes Andhra Pradesh claim on red sanders seized

Hyderabad: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, has written to the Centre to issue directions to customs department and to all state forest departments to handover red sanders seized by them to AP.

In letters to the ministry of finance and environments and forests, the Chief Minister said red sanders is endemic to Andhra Pradesh and found naturally in the forest of Seshachalam. The red sanders seized by the customs department and other states belong to AP. The Centre was also informed that the state government is shortly going to call a global tender to sell 4000 metric tonnes of red sanders in the first phase.

Mr Naidu said that red sanders is endemic to Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh and it has been declared en-dangered by its inclusion in the red list of International Union for Conservation on Nature. It is also included in the Appendix II of Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.

Red sandalwood cannot be exported without being permitted by CITES and enabling amendments to the EXIM policy of the government of India, he added. In his letter, the CM said domestic demand for red sanders is very limited and it commands a very high price in the international market especially in countries like China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan.

Red sanders fetches a much higher price in the international market if sold in log form compared to value added product form. In 2010, CITES had put a ban on export of red sanders in any form, and the Ministry of Environment and Forests issued instructions in 2011 to all state forest departments to hand over red sanders seized by them to Andhra Pradesh state’s Handicraft Corporation and revised instructions were again issued in 2011 to all the states to handover the seized red sanders to AP.

He said that the state Forest department should release material to the corporation as and when required by them. Quoting the Supreme Court’s direction the CM said customs department and BSF are competent to confiscate and dispose timber and timber products under the Customs Act 1962, and such confiscated timer and timber products should be disposed of by open auction/sealed tender, through respective state forest departments and the sale proceeds after deducting the expenses should be deposited with the concerned central government department.

He said that the Ministry of Environments and Forest has issued the revised instructions in 2013, withdrawing earlier instructions to other state forest departments to handover seized red sanders to AP.

The CM said, in 2012 CITES had given permission to export 11,806 MTs of red sanders seized by customs department and other state forest departments including Andhra Pradesh, and which has been renewed during 2013 and 2014. Of 11,806 MTs, the Director General of Foreign Trade has permitted Andhra Pradesh state to export 8,584 MTs in log form by amending the EXIM policy.