Chief minister Tarun Gogoi at the inaugural function on Assam’s Initiative: Agar as People’s Tree, organised by the state department for the development of environment and forests, on Tuesday. Picture by Eastern Projections

Jan. 6: Captains of the agarwood industry today converged on the city, demanding plantation industry status as well as a liberalisation of rules for the sector at a meet.

A conference was held in the city today on agar plantations and the role of joint forest management committees. The conference was organised by the forest department in collaboration with the All Assam Agarwood Traders and Agaroil Manufacturers’ Association and the Agarwood Exporters’ Association.

Ajmal Khan Group managing director Siraj-ud-din Ajmal said a positive attitude on the part of Dispur can help Assam take a lead in the agarwood industry, which could help revolutionise the state’s economy. He termed agar the tree of hope for Assam.

Agarwood holds a unique place in the history of Assam, specially ancient Kamarupa. The very history of this region was written on the bark of the agar, or the sanchi tree as it is locally known. Chinese traveller Hiuen-Tsang had came to Kamrup during the reign of King Bhaskarvarmana to collect ancient Buddhist treatises and Kamarupa agaru.

An official said the forests of Assam have provided abundant quantity of agarwood till the late Seventies but after a while this valuable resource almost vanished from the forests.

Thousands of trees were planted by local villagers during that time while assessing the productivity of such a tree in comparison with other plantations like coconut or arecanut.

Assam forest minister Pradyut Bordoloi said joint forest management committees are being activated to bring back agar into the forests and also help augment the incomes of the people. “We want to make agar a people’s tree,” he added.

Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi has said the new forest policy of the state would place emphasis on harnessing of biodiversity, including medicinal plants. This assumes significance in the current context.

The state forest department is embarking on a new policy to replenish this resource in the forests of Assam, with local people’s participation in forest management.

“Attempts will also be made to create a congenial atmosphere for the growth of the agarwood industry in Assam by liberalising various rules and regulations,” one of the officials said.

Industry officials said the agarwood industry is unorganised as it takes a long time to get a transit pass for taking agarwood from the forests.

Agarwood is now being imported from southeast Asia into the country, where value-addition is done and then re-exported to different countries of the world. Agar is a highly sought after commodity and the premiums it commands today in the international markets have dramatically transformed the lives of families and economies of areas where its trade exists or where it is procured.

Members of the joint forest management committees from throughout the state have come here to discuss the need of taking up agar plantations. Technical experts have come to give advice to the government on better agar plantation.