India, Feb. 1 -- The Centre has focused its attention on sandalwood in the Union Budget 2026 tabled on February 1 and is set to take multiple steps for boosting its cultivation in a bid to increase farmer incomes.

During her budget speech, Union Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman announced that sandalwood is closely linked to India's social and cultural heritage. She added that the Union government will partner with state governments to promote focused cultivation and post-harvest processing so that the glory of the Indian sandalwood ecosystem can be restored.

K Amaranayana, retired IAS and president of the All India Sandalwood Tree Culture Association, said the budget announcement would encourage farmers.

"We are grateful to the c...