Marayur sandalwood received only a cold response in the two-day auction which concluded on Thursday. Officials of the Marayur Sandalwood Division attributed the response to the absence of top buyers from Karnataka. Expecting good response, the sandalwood division had placed a large quantity for the auction.
On the second day, 83 tonnes was placed for auction and only 5.6 tonnes, valued at ₹3.3 crore, was sold.
Temples’ participation
The largest buyer was a Thrissur-based pharmaceutical company which bought sandalwood worth ₹1 crore.
The main buyers were absent since they had additional stocks with them. However, a major trend in the auction was the increased participation of temple authorities from the State, an official said on Thursday.
On the first day, sandalwood worth only ₹2.23 crore was sold. Though 40.5 tonnes was placed for auction, only 4.45 tonnes was sold. A major reason for the poor response was that the main sandalwood buyer Karnataka Soaps and Detergents Ltd. and Karnataka Handicrafts abstained from the auction. The Class 3 ‘Pancham’ lot quoted the highest price and a temple at Vaikom purchased 5 kg at ₹18,190 per kg. Five kg of Gotla got the second highest price of ₹17,820 per kg. It was sold to a company based at Munnar. Eight agencies took part in the auction on the first day.
The best in India
After e-auction was introduced, buyers from faraway places too have been participated in it. Marayur sandalwood is considered the best in the country, because of the unique soil and climatic conditions of the area.