India, Sept. 1 -- While announcing the Union Budget for 2026-27, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted sandalwood as an integral part of India's social and cultural heritage and announced focused efforts to promote its cultivation and processing. The announcement is the latest indication of the attention that sandalwood (Santalum album), is getting in India since the beginning of the decade. For instance, since 2022, states like Karnataka and Maharashtra have relaxed norms for private cultivation and sale of sandalwood trees, promoting its addition in agroforestry plantations. Cultivation has also spread beyond the traditional belts of southern states to Telangana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and parts of northern In...