NBA disburses Rs 45 lakh to red sanders farmers

The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has continued its series of ‘Access and Benefit Sharing’ disbursements with the release of Rs 45 lakh to Andhra Pradesh’s red sanders farmers, officials said on Friday.

With these disbursements through the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board, India’s cumulative Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) releases now exceed Rs 143.5 crore. Red sanders is an Indian endemic tree species, found mainly around the Eastern Ghats. An official statement noted that the ABS framework directly rewards farmers for conserving and sustainably utilising a globally valued endemic species. “This initiative underscores the economic opportunity available to red sanders cultivators, who derive dual income benefits. First, through the lawful sale of red sanders wood or logs cultivated and through monetary benefits under the ABS mechanism mandated under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002,” the statement said.

Till date, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released over Rs 104 crore to the state of Andhra Pradesh towards red sanders conservation, protection and to benefit-claimers, and over Rs 15 crore to other states, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha and Telangana.

In the last three months, the NBA has released ABS funds to the tune of Rs 5.35 crore to more than 220 red sanders farmers from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.