PRAYAGRAJ, May 10 -- Efforts have been launched to make Prayagraj and its neighbouring Bundelkhand region comprising Jhansi, Jalaun, Lalitpur, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Banda and Chitrakoot districts as prominent centres of highly lucrative white sandalwood cultivation. Currently, only a few farmers in select districts like Jalaun and Chitrakoot have started sandalwood cultivation, albeit on a small scale.

For this purpose, a dedicated project is set to begin from June 2025 under the agro-forestry initiative, the Forest Research Centre for Eco-Rehabilitation, Prayagraj, a forestry research institution under Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE), Dehradun, officials said.

White 'chandan' or white sandalwood farming involves c...