Amaravati, Jan. 2 -- The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has disbursed Rs 45 lakh to Red Sanders farmers in Andhra Pradesh under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism, through the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board.

With this release, the cumulative ABS disbursements in India have crossed Rs 143.5 crore.

The disbursement highlights the economic model available to Red Sanders cultivators, who receive income through the regulated sale of cultivated Red Sanders wood and additional monetary benefits under the ABS provisions of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

The mechanism links conservation and sustainable use of the endemic species with direct financial returns to farmers.

According to the NBA, more than Rs 104 cr...