AGARWOOD

‘’the Wood of gods’’

WOOD CHIPS

Essential oil the Wood of gods

AGARWOOD OR GAHARU -as it is known in many asian countries is a resinous
heartwood that sometimes occurs in trees belonging
to the genus aquilaria (thymelaeceae family).
aquilaria is a fast-growing, archaic subtropical
forest tree, with a population range stretching
from south asia’s himalayan foothills, throughout
southeast asia, and into the rainforests of papua
new guinea. it grows at elevations from a few
meters above sea level to about 1000 meters, with
approx. 500 meters being most ideal. aquilaria can
grow on a wide range of soils, including poor sandy
soil. seedlings require a great deal of shade and
water but will grow rapidly, producing flowers
and seeds as early as four years old. at least
fifteen species of aquilaria are known to produce
the much sought-after agarwood. in south asia,
particularly india, aquilaria achalloga is found.
aquilaria malaccensis is mostly known from malaysia
and indonesia, while aquilaria crassna grows
primarily in indochina. a number of others are also
known, such as aquilaria grandfolia, aquilaria
chinesis etc., though these are relatively minor
species for agarwood production.
AGARWOOD timber
AGARWOOD PLANTING

• Agar wood suitable for planting in the lowland areas to the mountains at an
altitude of 0 - 750 meters above sea level with an average rainfall of less than
2000cm. Appropriate temperature is between 27 ° C to 32 ° C with a rate of 70%
sunlight. Suitability of land types soft and sandy clay soil with a pH between
4.0 to 6.0.

• Quality seeds is essential for the purpose of seeding, seeding is usually done by
the nursery to ensure the supply of crop seeds in a large volume and long
lasting. Karas the fruits of Aquilaria Malaccencis the form of capsules, 3. 5 cm
to 5 cm long, ovoid and dark brown. The skin is quite hard and contains three
to four seeds per fruit.

• Agarwood species are evergreen plants and growing. It is suitable for planting in
most soils except swampy soil and stagnant water. Agarwood trees can be
planted on flat land and hilly areas. It can also be planted in oil palm
plantations, coffee plantations and farms in the other trees, aged between 5-8
years. Cultivation techniques in the interval system or integrated with two or
more crops can be done .Technique Agro forestry approach, Inter-row planting
and hedge planting also can be done.
Planting technique - is to dig a hole in the distance
measure 6 feet x 6 feet, 10 feet x
10 feet, 10 feet x 15 feet and so on.
It depends on the techniques of
crop interval, integration, or the
like. Seedlings removed from the
polythene bag and placed in a hole
dug with an area of 0.5 meters in
diameter and depth. Surface soil
compacted by hand to ensure close
contact with the ground roots and
avoid the flow of water at the
surface (surface water). Fertilizer
application rates should not exceed
100 gm for every hole.
Agarwood Usage -agarwood, the “wood of the gods” has been
traded and highly coveted for thousands of years.
the resinous wood is used as incense, for medicinal
purposes, and pure resin in distilled form is used
as an essential oil as well as a perfume
component. outside its native countries.

it is most widely known in the middle east, china,

taiwan, and japan. a strong connection exists
between use, religion, and curative properties, and
essential oil elaborate traditional and religious ceremonies are
known around the world. faith healers in the
middle east use it at curative ceremonies..

japanese pilgrims donate flowers and agarwood oil

to shinto-buddhist temples, and vietnamese
religious groups are obliged to bring agarwood to
ceremonies at their temples in mekong delta
communities.

wood of the gods

Agarwood Extinction
Resin-producing agarwood trees are endangered throughout
their known habitat all across Southeast Asia. The main
driving force, which initiated this project, was the recognition
of unsustainable Aquilaria harvesting in natural forests that
resulted in the near extinction of this tree genus in Viet Nam
and elsewhere. Aquilaria crassna is now a protected species in
Viet Nam. Trade and harvesting restrictions will be virtually
impossible to implement and enforce if no alternative is
developed to forest-based harvesting. In addition, both in the
short and long-term, a natural resource base needs to be
maintained to supply present and future Aquilaria plantations
with genetic source material in order to prevent plant
decease, maintain diversity, and possibly improve resin
production.
Agarwood Essential Oil
-Known also as Oud oil, agarwood is one
of the most precious, rare and certainly
most expensive essential oils in existence
today. Agarwood is sometimes called Gaharu.

The essential oil is derived from the

heartwood of the agarwood tree. There are
a number of popular species but typically
aquilaria malaccensis, aquilaria agallocha
or Aquilaria crassna are used to make the
oil.

Agarwood is native to India as well as

several areas of South East Asia including
Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia

Oud Oil
Oud oil
• another key by-product of agarwood, is an extremely valuable commodity that has been
prized throughout history. It is extracted from the resinous heartwood or agarwood of
tropical Aquilaria trees. The precious resin is the result of the tree’s natural defence
mechanism when it is infected by fungus. This resin, known as Oud or agarwood, is now one
of the most important ingredients in the fragrance industry, with one out of eight major
fragrances containing Oud.

• The market for fragrances continues to grow at an accelerating pace, with more than
1,200 luxury fragrances launched each year. Oud-based fragrances, with their intense smoky
woodiness, are becoming a mainstay in modern perfumery, with many global high-end
fragrances using Oud as a base note ingredient.

• The Asia Plantation Capital Group’s business model is ranges from the management of
plantations, to the inoculation, harvesting, distilling and processing of agarwood inputs
into a multitude of agarwood end products, including the highly prized Oud oil.

• APC possess the necessary skills and expertise, which puts it at the forefront of research
and development in inoculation methods, where it has been able to successfully infect an
entire Aquilaria trees with agarwood resin. Together its impressive distillery plants and
technology, it is capable of producing top quality Oud oil and has successfully broken into
to the high-end perfume markets by supplying the luxury fragrance brand, Fragrance Du
Bois.
Agarwood Essential Oil – Oud Oil
• When the trees are healthy, agarwood has a light or pale color but when it is infected by disease,
the process of infection creates a response to the attack resulting in a very dark and incredibly
aromatic resin known as oleoresin. It is this rich dark resin which is so highly prized and from which
agarwood essential oil is extracted.

• In the wild, the production of this resin can take many years and like a good wine, the older the
resin-the more prized it becomes. Because of its huge cost and extreme rarity in the wild, the trees
are now cultivated and the resin is actually created by artificial infection and its essential oil
extracted by water distillation.

• There are many grades of Agarwood oil. The quality of grade is dependent on the grade of wood
used and the length of distillation. Typically, the longer the distillation time the higher the grade.

• It costs hundreds for 5ml and oud oil is typically sold by weight. Because of its rarity and mythic
status in almost all of the worlds religions–it is extremely expensive. The scent is particularly
sought after. It is believed to be the most powerful natural aphrodisiac.

• Most Agarwood oud oil is purchased and consumed primarily by Saudi Arabia and Japan. There are no
truly similar species or known sythetics that come close to the real scent. The fungal infection that
helps create the resin makes its extract very unique.

• Adulteration can and does happen on many levels. On the raw materials level–trees either uninfected
or a lower grade of wood. Often it can even be a different but similar species of tree. Even among
infected trees the method of infection (natural or stimulated) can have an effect on the compounds in
the wood.

• On the distillation level–the distiller can include the hydrosol with the essential oil or lie about
the length of distillation.
Demand For Agarwood Skyrocketing Prices

• The surging demand for incense has seen the price of

Plantations International Agarwood, its main ingredient, hit
an all time high. Farmers near Hong Kong are being
encouraged to plant more trees, but so far, only a few seem
to be in it for the long haul.

• Across Asia, people prefer the natural scent of incense than

more modern items like air fresheners or sprays. Seen burning
in temples all across the continent, the unique aroma is
created when a fungus infects aqularia trees, resulting in a
darkening of the wood.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT AGARWOOD
• Religious texts were written on bark from agar trees and Srimanta Sankardev
referred to agarwood as one of the divine trees with the ability to fulfill
human desire.
• Burning Agarwood was called the ‘scent of Nirvana’ by The Lord Buddha.
• It is extensively mentioned in the Sanskrit Vedas as a favorite of Lord
Krishna.
• Agarwood has played an important role in many religious traditions all over
the world. It has been revered for millennia for its fragrance in religious
ceremony and its incense burned at the burial of Jesus Christ.
• King Louis XIV had his clothing washed in water scented with agarwood.
• Agarwood smoke was used to scent the armor of Samurai warriors before
heading into battle.
• In Genesis, agarwood is mentioned as the only tree from which Adam and Eve
could take cuttings.
• Although it is not that well known in the West, agarwood has a rich history
of medicinal use in many cultures. It has been used for centuries by physicians
in Tibet, India, China and the Arab world to treat a range of physical and
mental conditions.
• The Prophet Mohammed used Agarwood to perform fumigation rituals, a
practice which is continued today by Orthodox.
Chips Agarwood Chips and Powder
Agarwood chips – a by-product of
agarwood, are burned to produce a
pleasant aroma. Its use ranges from a
general perfume to an element of
important religious occasions. Irregular
chunks of agarwood, usually a few
centimetres long and weighing 10-200g,
may be cut or broken into smaller
pieces and then burned, usually in a
specially made incense burner. These
chips can also be ground into powder
and form the base ingredient of the
multi-billion dollar incense industry, as
well as many other varied and growing
commercial uses.
AGARWOOD SEEDS
the seeds will last only
7~10days from the day of
collecting, any delay will
affect the germination
rate very much. some
people keep the seeds in
controlled temperature
environment to prolong
the storage, maximum is 2
months. the seeds are not
good.
 HOW TO GERMINATE GAHARU SEEDS

Germinate the seed with sharp tail pointing upwards ..

Use peatmoss as germination medium is the best

ay 9th Seed start to crack …

Day 12~18th .. Start to sprout above taproot start to emerge.
growing medium..
Day 12~19th .. Start to sprout Day 20~26th ..
above growing medium.. Seedlings growing..
Day 20~26th .. Larger germination pot is
suggested, the taproot is finding its way out of Day 20~26th .. Use of non-woven nursery
the confined pot, which is about 35cc in bag instead of germination tray is
volume.. recommended..
Wild and cultivated agarwood
• In the past most agarwood has been harvested from the wild. Because it is
extremely difficult, if not impossible, to see whether a tree contains agarwood
or not most of the Aquilaria trees are chopped down indiscrimimally..

• High quality agarwood can fetch as much as US$1000 per kilo. Throughout
history there has been an ever-moving frontier of agarwood exploitation across
Asia as traders, continuously search for untouched forests containing Aquilaria
trees (Barden et al. 2000).

• The trees were fetching high prices and as a result, the news about agarwood
harvesting spread like ‘gold fever’. Large sums of money and all kinds of luxury
items were offered to the forest dwelling communities, the traditional producers
of agarwood. Usually this ‘fever’ was temporary. Once the largest trees were cut,
new harvesting expeditions became less successful and just as in the case of
gold, the collecting of small quantities of agarwood became a less rewarding
activity.
Project Returns:
The average yield from a single Agar wood tree is
approximately 4 Kgs. The current price of Agar wood is
averaged at Rs. 50,000 per Kg i.e. Rs.2 Lac.

We assume the yield from one Agarwood tree at Rs. 1 Lac.

There are approx. 200 Trees planted in half acre. A
plantation planted 10 Years ago in half an acre would be
worth approximately Rs.2 crore if harvested today.

We assume that the price of Agar wood will increase

minimum 3 times in next 10 Years. The Agar wood trees
will be cut after 10 years..