Here's why Ramdev, India's biggest buyer of red sander, had to shell out Rs 207 cr for endangered wood

The cutting of red sander trees has come under the spotlight again after the killing of 20 alleged smugglers by the Andhra Pradesh police, but despite the theory that most of the wood recovered goes abroad it turns out one of the biggest consumers of the is none other than yoga guru Ramdev.

Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogpeeth bought 706 tonnes of red sanders for Rs 207 crore, according to a  report in The Times of India , which it reportedly used for the manufacture of the  ayurvedic medicines and as essence in incense sticks.

In a market which is dominated by China, Japan and other east Asian nations where the wood is reportedly used in the manufacture of herbal aphrodisiacs, Ramdev was probably the only Indian buyer, the report added.

The government, in December 2014 had conducted global e-auction of 4,160 tonnes of red sanders logs seized from smugglers in recent years. The forest department put three grades of red sanders up for auction, with the average rate per tonne during the sale at Rs.27.41 lakh.

According to Andhra Pradesh government’s estimate, the annual requirement of red sanders in the international market is about 3,000 tonnes.

Having auctioned the top quality of the wood for Rs 1.5 crore per tonne recently, the government is aiming to turn the sale of the seized logs of the wood into a source of revenue.

Another round of auction of 3,500 tonnes of logs is slated for May this year.

The high price of red sanders fetches can be explained by the fact that it is so difficult to obtain.

Red sanders was placed on the endangered list by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 1995. The International Union for Conservation of Nature seconded CITES two years later.

The Andhra Pradesh government declared the wood endangered after the Centre’s recommendation on the grounds that the species faced threat of extinction. As late as 2012, the state government had stuck to its earlier decision to keep red sanders in the endangered list. The wood fetches Rs 25 lakh a tonne in the international market, reports said.

Used mainly to make aphrodisiac drugs and musical instruments and furniture, red sandalwood smuggling has wreaked havoc in Andhra Pradesh and neighbouring Tamil Nadu. According to this report in The Times of India, the smuggling racket is such a well-oiled and effectively organised machinery that except a few, no one knows who the kingpin is.

Senior AP forest department officials, have in the past claimed smugglers of red sanders are having a tough time doing business due to the government auctions since it gives direct access to international buyers. They also claimed that smugglers were trying to halt the government auction by setting up various hurdles including approaching courts and getting the auction stayed .

But it’s not just auctions that will help stop the trade of this wood.

Speaking to the Deccan Chronicle , Dr Shekhar Kumar Niraj, the country head of the Wildlife Trade Monitoring Network of IUCN and WWF , said that until the issue of smuggling is taken up with countries like China and Japan, there won’t be any major progress.

Auctions like those where Baba Ramdev’s organisation buys red sander may be helping curb illegal trade of the wood but until the smuggling racket is curbed, he may only have to shell out higher amounts for it.