New Delhi, January 2, 2026 (PIB Delhi) — The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has disbursed ₹45 lakh to red sanders farmers in Andhra Pradesh through the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board, continuing its Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) disbursement programme. With this release, India’s total ABS disbursements have crossed ₹143.5 crore.
The initiative highlights the economic opportunities available to farmers cultivating red sanders, who benefit from dual income streams—first, through the lawful sale of cultivated red sanders wood/logs, and second, through monetary benefits under the mandatory ABS mechanism of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. The ABS framework directly rewards farmers for conserving and sustainably using a globally valued endemic species.
To date, the NBA has released over ₹104 crore to Andhra Pradesh for red sanders conservation, protection, and benefit claimants. Additionally, more than ₹15 crore has been disbursed to other states including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Telangana.
In the past three months alone, the NBA has distributed ₹5.35 crore under ABS to over 220 red sanders farmers across Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.
