While most of us are familiar with red sandalwood thanks to the box office success of the Telugu film Pushpa, how many of you have heard of Agarwood?
The film depicts the ascent of Pushpa, played by Allu Arjun, as a red sandalwood smuggler in Andhra Pradesh’s Seashachalam highlands.
When a plot about red sandalwood smuggling can make a movie a big smash, why not the most expensive tree, Agarwood, make you a billionaire in real life, not on screen?
Yes, you have discovered the secret of the rarest Tree Agarwood!
Agarwood is the rarest and most expensive wood kind on the market.
A kilograms of agarwood can cost as much as $1,00,000 (about Rs. 75,00,000), according to Business Insider.
A gramme of diamond currently costs Rs 3,25,000 in India, while 10 grammes of gold costs roughly Rs 47,050.
Just think about why Agarwood is known as liquid Gold!
Agarwood is often referred to as the Wood of the Gods.
Agar wood (gaharu, aloe wood) is produced by the Agar tree (Aquilaria species), a tropical evergreen tree native to Assam, India, but also found in Northeast India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and portions of Southeast Asia.
Sach Tree is the name given to it in Assam.
Haji Ajmal Ali’s scents became so famous that his tiny, family-run firm in Hojai evolved into a huge perfumer with over 300 products in its portfolio, presence in 36 cities in India, and over 240 retail outlets overseas.
The company’s revenue was reported to be Rs 1,475 crore ($200 million) in 2011.
The corporation, on the other hand, does not want to reveal its present financials.
Both the oil and the wood of the Aquilaria tree, which grows from the states of Eastern India to Burma, Thailand, Indochina, and along the Malaya peninsula to Papua New Guinea and even Borneo, are used to make agarwood.
Agarwood has a rich, earthy scent that is typically characterized as woody, musky, or sweet, similar to that of its incense.
It is believed to have the power to promote relaxation and well-being in many cultures.
In the world market, agarwood is used for incense, perfume, traditional medicine, and other things.
Agarwood is used as a qi egulating drug and carminative medicine in traditional Chinese medicine to ease gastrointestinal disorders, coughs, rheumatism, and high fever, which is why it is known as Liquid Gold.
In one of the world’s oldest recorded scriptures, the Sanskrit Vedas, agarwood was described as a fragrant product of riches and luxury dating back to 1,400 BC.
Also, after his crucifixion, Jesus’ body was anointed with a mixture of myrrh and alone, according to the New Testament, and the depiction of Paradise by Allah’s messenger in the Sahih al-Bukhari Hadith includes the burning of agarwood as incense.
Who knows, if a film based on the story of Agarwood’s liquid Gold is developed, it may one day eclipse the blockbuster metre of Pushapa, the Rise based on sandalwood, and KGF2 based on Collar Gold Field.
That is the legend surrounding Agarwood, the world’s rarest tree tribe.
The northeast (especially Assam, Mizoram, and Tripura) is known as the cradle of agarwood aromatics, with vibrant and developing agarwood production traditions.
You can visit-Nahoroni, a well- known location (comprising of various villages such as Batiporia, Majgaon, Kurighoria, and Baroghoria gaon) in Golaghat district, Assam, is the country’s largest source of Agar wood growing, but its term is sadly missing from this page.
The majority of the people in this area rely on their own plantations to produce high-quality Agar wood.
Agarwood extract is a digestive aid and pain relief from a therapeutic standpoint.
Agarwood oil lowers joint discomfort, heals acne and other skin irritations, and even fights breast cancer thanks to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Rheumatism and other body pains are treated with agarwood oil in a boiling mixture.
It’s been used as a complicated ointment for smallpox and a variety of stomach ailments.
Agarwood oil, when used in aromatherapy, can aid with anxiety, stress, sadness, and other nervous system illnesses.
Agarwood is one of the world’s most costly non-timber wood products.
It has a wide range of applications in the perfume, cosmetics, and pharmaceutical industries.
The trees from which agarwood oil is obtained are currently cultivated, and the resin is actually formed by artificial infection, and its essential oil is recovered by water distillation, despite the high cost and severe scarcity in the wild.
Because of the numerous benefits it provides, agarwood oil is becoming increasingly popular.
No one can stop you from becoming the next billionaire once you learn the secret recipe for Agarwood and begin paying attention to its farming.
The global agarwood market is expected to be worth $32 billion dollars.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature is on the verge of declaring the Agarwood extinct in the wild (IUCN).
The Aquilaria malaccensis tree, which produces one of the world’s most valuable timbers, has gone from ‘vulnerable’ to ‘critically endangered’ due to logging and deforestation, which has resulted in a population decrease of more than 80% in the last 150 years, according to the IUCN report.
Due of its impending extinction, great demand has pushed up not just the price, but also the rate of harvesting and artificial production.
The market is predicted to double to $64 billion by the end of 2029.
The formation of resin in Agarwood will astound you.
When the human body suffers a cut, our bodies produce white blood cells to stop the blood flow, and our bodies do other functions.
Resin is entrenched in the heartwood of agarwood trees and is generated after the tree becomes infected with a type of mould called phialophora parasitica, which is a sort of fungus.
The tree emits resin to repair the injured part after becoming diseased.
As the infection spreads, dark black resin is produced, which holds all of the price and value.
Would you not be persuaded to go into farming after learning about its auto- generated procedure of creating dark black colour Resin? Its low cost might make you the next secret Billionaire.
Who doesn’t want to be a billionaire, after all?
Follow the steps to get started.
Agarwood costs between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 5 lakh per kilogramme in India.
This is the price of agarwood per kilogramme in India in 2022, and the price of agar will continue to rise over time. Agarwood plants can be planted all year, however the seedlings respond well to the soil during July and September due to the weather and rain.
This tree is usually found in India’s north-eastern jungles.
It is a forest tree that is predominantly grown in Assam.
It’s worth noting that Agarwood thrives in red, yellow podzolic, clay sandy, and loamy soil. Agarwood thrives in hilly places with elevations of more than 750 metres above sea level.
Because agarwood creation in the natural environment is a lengthy process that can take up to ten years, the development of effective induction technology has gotten a lot of attention because it’s critical to maintaining the agarwood supply from domesticated Aquilaria trees.
Agarwood plants can be purchased for Rs.35-60 at Global Nursery and Agarwood Industry in Hojai, Assam or Other nurseries of Assam.
With a spacing of 2.5 m × 2.5 m and 2 m x 2 m, around 700 to 900 plants per acre can be planted.
Agarwood plantation land preparation
- Before planting agarwood, ploughing is required; after a couple of ploughings, weed removal and field cleaning are completed.
- Dig 45 x 45 x 45 cm trenches, fill them with FYM, and then expose them to sunshine to kill insects.
- To keep insects at bay, add 15 percent cow dung and 20 grammes furadan to these pits.
- Keep your agarwood farm free of stagnant water.
- It causes plant death, therefore be cautious and ready for water logging issues.
- Choose healthy agar seedlings that are at least 60-90 cm tall.
However, healthy seedlings should be preferred over height.
- To avoid root coiling, stay away from older seedlings. Manure and agarwood fertiliser
- Plant fertiliser made from cow dung – one of the most significant organic fertilisers for soil fertility is cow dung. Each pit can have 15% cow dung added to it.
- 20 gramme furadan fertiliser can be used to kill insects.
- Coco peat – It has oxygenating capabilities and can help loosen up compacted soil.
- TSP and DAP – Triple super phosphate and diammonium phosphate, respectively, deliver sufficient phosphate to the plant.
- Organic farming – Organic fertiliser is recommended for long – term farming since organic fertilisers are slower but give results from the base of the problem, resulting in higher agarwood yield per tree over a longer period of time.
Harvesting agarwood
Time to harvest agarwood – The tree can be harvested after 8 to 10 years.
Many states prohibit the harvesting of agarwood, thus you must first obtain authorization from your district’s forest department official.
It is recommended that you begin agarwood cultivation after obtaining authorization from your region’s forestry agency.
Inoculation with agarwood
Agarwood cultivation employs the artificial inoculation technique.
In comparison to agarwood forest trees, this approach produces agar in less time.
If you truly want to learn more about the Agarwood Inoculation process and how to become a secret billionaire, you must follow the steps outlined.
- The tree is wrapped or cut purposefully from a few pieces after 8-9 years in this technique.
- Fungi are then induced in the xylem of Aquilaria with the use of a drill machine.
- To get a fungal infection on the tree wound region, medicine is transmitted through the wound.
- This procedure is required because, after becoming infected, the tree produces sap in the form of resin to heal the wound, and this resin is collected because it is extremely valuable and sells for a high price.
- The inducer is transmitted to other wounded portions of the tree through the tree’s wounds.
- Resinous wood forms after a few months.
- Resin is the tree’s saliva that helps it heal damaged areas.
- Resin is a dark -colored substance that forms around wounds in many areas of the tree, including branches, roots, and trunk.
- The formation of resinous wood in the tree takes 4 to 9 months.
- The gentle aroma of agarwood can be obtained by baking wood on fire.
- The farmers gather the resin after it has formed.
- Sing agarwood – Agarwood that sinks in water is the wound portion of an agarwood tree.
Finally, don’t you want to know how much money you’ll make from farming?
Plants for agarwood farming cost per acre
1 plant costs between Rs 30 and Rs 100.
Plants per acre: 700
30 rupees x 700 plants = 21,000 rupees
21,000 rupees for planting materials
Other expenses
Rs 15,000 for land preparation
Fertilizer cost = Rs 8,000
The cost of irrigation is Rs 15,000
60,000 rupees for drip irrigation
6000 rupees for plant protection
20,000 rupees in labour costs
5000 rupees for miscellaneous expenses
150,000 rupees total cost (1 year) (including plant cost)
Total expense over an eight-year period
Reduce the cost of the plant from the first year’s cost – Rs 150,000 – Rs 21,000 = 129,000
8-year cost = Rs 129,000 x 8-year cost = Rs 10,32,000
Total cost = Rs 10,32,000 + 21,000 (plant cost) = Rs 10,53,000
Agarwood production per tree
Agarwood price per kg 2021= Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh 1 agarwood tree may provide around 4 kg yield (depends on quality)
If 700 trees are planted, only 500 are in good condition after 8-10 years.
500 trees multiplied by Rs 2 lakh equals Rs 10 crore.
Agarwood profit per acre minus agarwood tree cost per acre Equals net profit
10 crore – 10,53,000 = net profit
Rs 9,89,47,000 in profit
You think someone can stop you from becoming the next billionaire from Agarwood after this easy calculation?
How could a film centred on agarwood not be the next record breaker in terms of Pan India films?
It may succeed in the same way that the Pushpa and KGF series did.
Bottom Line: The widespread cultivation of the Agarwood alius sachi tree in upper Assam, northeast India, provides a possible ex situ reservoir for the vulnerable tree’s future conservation and management.
Due to limited gene flow, inbreeding, and selection pressure, genetic diversity of such uncommon forest species may be harmed in managed environments.
According to some studies, it is nearly extinct in the wild in Assam.
The unique technique in which agarwood is created has exacerbated the loss.
When an Aquilaria tree is infested with a mould, it produces a rich, fragrant resin to protect itself.
Poachers don’t know which trees are sick, therefore they cut down good trees as well.
Experts estimate that only approximately ten trees out of a hundred have the scent.
Because the population has already been depleted and people are increasingly growing them in private and commercial plantations, a thorough examination of the genetic variation of Agarwood cultivations is required before their potential value to ex situ conservation of this species can be determined.
Expert advice is always welcome in this situation.
