[Assam] [asom] Agarwood Plantations in Assam

Sat Oct 21 10:36:21 PDT 2006

*** Out of all the myriad of data, the two most 
critical, stand out by their absence.

WHAT is the per acre production of Xaansi ( 
Agarwood )trees or the essential oil, the end 
product?

And how many years does it take to get even a 
drop of it, from the time of planting the 
seedlings?

These two pieces of information alone would show 
whether it is a worthwhile undertaking for the 
subsistence farmer, or even the industrial farmer.

And their absence show the usefulness of the 
output of all these agencies and their 
high-sounding statistics.

At 11:30 AM +0100 10/21/06, Debasish sarma wrote:
>Hi friends,
>
>        On further study on the subject of 
>AGARWOOD I have come accross some astonishing 
>facts published in international publications. I 
>am forarding abstract of one such study 
>published in TRAFFIC website.
>        
>        TRAFFIC, the wildlife trade monitoring 
>network, works to ensure that trade in wild 
>plants and animals is not a threat to the 
>conservation of nature. TRAF! FIC is a joint 
>programme of WWF and The International Union for 
>the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources 
>(IUCN). TRAFFIC Southeast Asia (TSEA) is the 
>Southeast Asian regional office of the TRAFFIC 
>network and is responsible for the entire 
>Southeast Asian region.
>            
>             The results of TRAFFICs research 
>are reported in the TRAFFIC Network report one 
>such report is : Heart of the Matter:Agarwood 
>Use and Trade and CITES Implementation for 
>Aquilaria malaccensis. Some of the key findings 
>of this report, related to Asom are summarized 
>below. Full report can be viewed from the 
>following links.
><http://www.traffic.org/news/agarwood.pdf>http://www.traffic.org/news/agarwood.pdf
>
>International attention was drawn to concerns 
>regarding the status and trade of Agarwood, 
>scientific name Aquilaria mala! ccensis in 1994, 
>when the Government of India, submitted a 
>proposal to include it in Appendix II of the 
>Convention on International Trade in Endangered 
>Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The 
>proposal was accepted during the Ninth Meeting 
>of the Conference of the Parties to CITES (Fort 
>Lauderdale, 1994), the listing taking effect 
>from 16 February 1995.
>
>India is home to two Aquilaria species, A. 
>khasiana and A. malaccensis. A. khasiana is 
>found mainly in the Khasi Hills of Meghalaya 
>(Kanjilal et al., 1982). A. malaccensis is 
>native to rest north-eastern States.
>
>According to informat ion gathered by Forest 
>Departments and the Regional Deputy Director of 
>Wildlife Preservation, Eastern region, wild A. 
>malaccensis is rare in all of the North 
>Eastern States
>
>Wild agarwood (known locally as agar) was 
>heavily extracted from Arunachal Pradesh between 
>the late 1950s and the early 1980s, virtually 
>exhausting the natural stock. Wild A. 
>malaccensis is considered almost extinct in 
>Assam.
>
>Indias role in the agarwood trade
>
>!
>India was previously the centre of a thriving 
>industry and trade based on agarwood. Products 
>produced and traded included wood, chips, powder 
>and oil, being used mainly for perfumes, 
>incense, and medicines (including Ayurvedic). 
>Prior to the 1991 export ban on wood and wood 
>products, Mumbai served as the main exporting 
>centre to Middle Eastern countries. Agarwood 
>harvested from north-east Indian States, 
>predominantly Assam, was taken to Hojai in Assam 
>where it was processed into chips, dust and oil. 
>Importers and exporters previously supplied 
>traders in Mumbai and Calcutta, primarily with 
>Assamese agarwood, but suppliers have largely 
>shifted their base to south-east Asian 
>countries, particularly Singapore, owing to the 
>scarcity of Indian agarwood.
>
>Traders interviewed reported that the decline in 
>the trade started 15-20 years ago, coinciding 
>with the decline in the availability of high 
>quality Indian agarwood. Even with the decline 
>in trade, however, there is still an agarwood 
>chip, oil and powder processing industry in 
>India. North-east India continues to dominate 
>Indias agarwood processing industry, with Assam 
>and particularly Hojai still playing a major 
>role, and Mumbai being the main location from 
>which agarwood is traded and exported.
>
>According to Heuveling van Beek and Phillips 
>(1999), Indian importers buy many tonnes of low 
>grade  agarwood powder for distillation 
>purposes. Many large processing units are 
>located in Assam, Chakrabarty et al.(1994) 
>reporting that a total of approximately 200 
>agarwood oil distilleries operated in the towns 
>of Hojai, Islamanagar and Nilbagan in Naogaon 
>district in 1993. The number of distilleries in 
>current operation is unknown, but interviews 
>conducted suggested that there are currently far 
>more processing units in Assam than in 1993. 
>Unconfirmed local enquiries suggest that there 
>may be more than 1500 processing units in Hojai 
>alone, although, according to available 
>information, the Industry Department has issued 
>licences to only 29 (unlicensed processing units 
>are presumably operating illegally).
>
>Domestic harvest and trade controls
>
>The Indian Forest Act, 1927 regulates domestic 
>harvests and both the in! tra- and inter-State 
>transport of agarwood. Controls are implemented 
>through a permit system that is managed by the 
>Department of Forestry. Divisional Forest 
>Offices maintain records of licences and permits 
>issued to harvest agarwood from plantations; 
>only a few individuals have obtained such 
>permits. These individuals obtain separate 
>permits to harvest and transport agarwood as and 
>when the opportunity arises rather than setting 
>up registered companies (S.K. Das, pers. comm. 
>to TRAFFIC India, 1999)
>
>In Assam, Lieu Transit Passes (LTPs) are issued 
>by the Assam Forest Department to those who have 
>legally transported agarwood from neighbouring 
>States (primarily Manipur, Mizoram and 
>Nagaland). LTPs are issued upon the presentation 
>of a valid TP issued in another State. LTPs 
>allow the transportation of agarwood to any 
>destination within Assam. There are reports, 
>however, of traders illegally harvesting 
>agarwood from, and managing to obtain a TP in, 
>Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Arunachal 
>Pradesh. The TP obtained under false pretences 
>is then used to obtain a LTP in Assam.
>
>Processing units in Assam are required to be 
>licensed by the Industry Department. The 
>Industry Department does not liaise with the 
>Forest Department regarding the availability and 
>source of raw agarwood and it is not mandatory 
>for processing units to declare their source of 
>raw of supply.
>
>The export of agarwood has been prohibited since 
>1991, when the export of all wood products 
>(including log, timber, chip, powder, flake, 
>dust etc.) of all species was banned through the 
>EXIM policy in force at that time. The current 
>EXIM policy (1993-2002) published by the 
>Directorate General of Foreign Trade, Government 
>of India, permits the import of A. malaccensis 
>(including chips, dust and oil), but maintains 
>the 1991 blanket export ban on Indian-harvested 
>wood products. However, it also specifically 
>regulates the export of A. malaccensis via the 
>Negative List of Export of Plants. The Negative 
>List of Export of Plants (as set forth in 
>Notification No. 24 (RE-98)/1997-2002 dated 14 
>October 1998) being an amendment to the ITO (HS) 
>Classification of Export and Import Items 
>1997-2002, specifically prohibits the export of 
>29 native flora species, including A. 
>malaccensis. This includes the plants, plant 
>portions,
>derivatives and extracts obtained from the wild. 
>The export ban on all wild Indian flora species 
>was re-communicated to Parties by way of CITES 
>Notification No. 1999/39.
>
>There are exceptions to the export ban, however, 
>which allow the export of native species 
>included in the Negative List. These include 
>formulations, which are defined as products 
>containing plant portions or extracts in 
>unrecognisable and physically inseparable forms. 
>Native wild Aquilaria malaccensis can therefore 
>be freely exported in forms such as oil or 
>medicine. Also, the export of Indian 
>cultivated varieties (i.e. agarwood derived 
>from plantations) is permitted when accompanied 
>by a Certificate of  Cultivation. This is 
>obtained from the Regional Deputy Director of 
>Wildlife (CITES Management Authority), or the 
>Chief Conservator of Forests or Divisional 
>Forest Officers, in the State where the material 
>was procured. A CITES export permit is also 
>required, but none appear to have been issued.
>
>Imported agarwood may be re-exported as 
>value-added herbal formulations, if these are 
>manufactured only from imported material. At the 
>time of export, exporters are required to 
>present an affidavit to Customs authorities 
>stating that only imported plant material was 
>used to produce the formulation being reexported.
>
>Illegal harvests and trade
>
>Several reports of seizures were received from 
>traders. For example, one importer interviewed 
>reported the seizure of agarwood chips worth 
>INR300 000 (USD9561), imported from Bangkok into 
>Mumbai in 1994. Traders alleged that wood was 
>smuggled across the north-eastern bor! der, 
>particularly from Myanmar, which they claimed 
>necessitates bribing enforcement agencies at the 
>border. Manipur was indicated as the preferred 
>entry point and traders particularly named 
>Churachandpur District as the place to obtain a 
>Transit Permit illegally for wood smuggled from 
>Myanmar. It was said that this cost INR200/kg 
>(USD5/kg). Smuggled wood from other south-east 
>Asian countries such as Indonesia, Lao PDR, 
>Cambodia and Vietnam is said to be flown into 
>Calcutta, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi. According 
>to traders interviewed, the majority of agarwood 
>smuggled into India is destined for processing 
>in Hojai.
>
>Some traders admitted illegally exporting 
>agarwood, stating that this was a relatively 
>risk-free process, since Customs formalities 
>were easily negotiated. Two traders gave 
>separate accounts of bribing Customs officials 
>in order to evade legal action. The use of 
>couriers to export agarwood illegally was said 
>to be widespread, with some retailers saying 
>that they used couriers to export up to 20 kg of 
>chips. Some traders thought that the export ban 
>had discouraged Middle Eastern consumers from 
>purchasing large quantities of agarwood from 
>India, who instead would only purchase up to 
>five kilogrammes, an amount easily concealed 
>within personal baggage. Small vials of oil (six 
>to seven centimetres in length) are also easily 
>hidden.
>
>Cultivation
>
>Both government-owned and private agarwood 
>plantations have been established. The 
>Silviculture Division of Arunachal Pradesh has 
>converted large areas of degraded forests into 
>commercial agarwood plantations. These are the 
>source of most of Arunachal Pradeshs illegal 
>stock, despite their being too immature to yield 
>commercially valuable agarwood. The upper Assam 
>climate provides particularly suitable growing 
>conditions and large-scale plantations exist in 
>this State.
>
>One large agarwood trading company has 
>distributed A. malaccensis seedlings worth 
>approximately INR100 000 (USD2353) to villagers 
>in Hojai and surrounding villages during the 
>past few years, enabling them to plant their own 
>A. malaccensis trees on their property and on 
>other small tracts of land.
>
>
>Wholesale prices for Aquilaria malaccensis fixed by Assam Forest Department
>Year                Grade 
>Price (Rs/kg) Price
>1993
>         &nbs! p;   1st class Black Agar    &nb 
>sp;                                   30 000
>             2nd class Bantang 
>20 000
>             3rd class Phutas, 
>Kalaguchi                &! 
>nbsp;               7500
>             4th class 
>Dhum                                                 100-250
>1994
>             1st class Black Agar 
> &n! bsp;                        65000
>             2nd class Bantang 
>15 000
>             3rd class Phutas, Kalaguchi                               7 000
>             4th class Dhum 
>350
>1998
>             1st class Black Agar 
>50 000
>             2nd class Bantang 
>30 000
>             3rd class Phutas, Kalaguchi                               10 000
>             4th class Dhum 
>450
>Source: Gupta, 1999*
>
>
>Reference:
>
>Chakrabarty, K., Kumar, A. and Menon, V. (1994). 
>Trade in Agarwood. TRAFFIC India and WWF-India,
>New Delhi. 51pp.
>
>Gupta, A. K. (1999). Assessing the 
>Implementation of the CITES Appendix-II Listing 
>of Aquilaria malaccensis.
>Unpublished report prepared for TRAFFIC India.
>
>Heuveling van Beek, H. and Phillips, D. (1999). 
>Agarwood: Trade and CITES Implementation in
>Southeast Asia. Unpublished report prepared for 
>TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Malaysia.
>
>Kanjilal, U.N., Kanjilal, P.C., Dey, R.M. and 
>Das, A. (reprinted 1982). Flora of Assam, IV. 
>Government
>of Assam, Assam, India.
>
>
>
>
>tajbakshi <tajbakshi at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>Pls. viisit this site to know about activities on Agarwood.......
><http://whitelotus.smugmug.com/>http://whitelotus.smugmug.com
>
>Tajul Bakshi
>
>
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