Agarwood Farming: Agarwood is more expensive than gold and diamonds

Agarwood Farming: Tree farming is now becoming an alternative to traditional farming for farmers. Many farmers are cultivating trees and earning good income from it. Sunil, a farmer from Ahmedabad, is cultivating agarwood trees. Along with this, he also runs a nursery. Farmer friends, let us know what is an agarwood tree and how it is cultivated. Sunil gives training to farmers in the cultivation of agarwood trees. Farmers from many parts of the country are associated with him.

Where is agarwood tree cultivated more?

Agarwood trees are cultivated in Thailand, South Korea, Indonesia. This tree is also cultivated in UAE, Saudi Arabia. The price of Agarwood wood is available in the Indian market at the rate of 1 lakh dollars per kg. This wood is used in religious rituals. It is used as perfume in Arab countries. The world’s most expensive perfume is prepared from it.

It is sold at the rate of about one crore rupees per tola. If we talk about India, then Agarwood tree is cultivated mostly in Assam. Agarwood tree becomes ready to be sold in the market in 10 to 12 years. Its demand is very high in Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Kerala, South Korea, Dubai, Qatar.

Which soil is suitable for cultivation of Agarwood tree?

Sunil tells that first of all he got the soil of the farm tested. The pH value of the soil should be 7.5 to 8. The TDS of the soil should be 1700 to 2500. Black, smooth, loamy, stony, barren soil is suitable. It can be cultivated in hilly and plain areas. Irrigation should be done thrice a month in agarwood farming. Irrigation should be done thrice a month for one year. This tree has to be looked after in the beginning.

Nursery in agarwood tree farming

Sunil says that while selecting agarwood plants in the nursery, its seeds should be taken care of. The seeds should be of good quality. Seeds of Aquilaria variety should be selected. This is the most expensive variety. The oil content is high in this species. The oil content is 15 to 20 percent. It is easy to import and export the wood of this species. This variety is used to make perfume in South Korea and UAE.

Planting, irrigation and fertilizer in agarwood

If the farmer uses good seeds, then his production and profit will be high. In one acre, 550 plants should be planted at the rate of 10 by 12 feet. Irrigation can be done through drip irrigation or normal way. Organic manure can be used as fertilizer. You can also give Jeevamrit to the tree. This should be given to the plant at an interval of 10 days for one year. In the second year, it has to be given twice a month and in the third year, it has to be given once a month. The plant has to be taken care of properly for three years.

Keep these things in mind while buying agarwood plant

Farmers should keep in mind the length of the plant while buying it from the nursery. The length of the plant should be 2 to 3 feet. You can also use tissue culture plant. Sunil gives such plants to farmers as per the order. Sunil tells that the older the plant, the more will be its growth.

How much is the cost and profit in the cultivation of agarwood tree?

In the cultivation of agarwood tree, 400 to 450 plants can be planted in one acre. The plant should be planted at a distance of 12 feet width and 10 feet length. The price of agarwood plant is 200 rupees. The pit should be one foot deep and one foot wide. Five to ten grams of regenda can be put in the pit. Jeevamrit, cow dung, two to three kilos should be added in each pit.

Organic farming of agarwood increases the chances of doubling the profit. Plant fertilizer costs 25 to 30 thousand rupees every year. Drip irrigation costs Rs. 2 to 2.5 lakhs per acre.

Agarwood wood and plant pests

Get fungal treatment done on the tree after four to five years. A silkworm-like pest is found in the tree. For its treatment, experts are called from Mizoram. They treat the pest after surveying the trees. Agarwood tree becomes ready to be sold in the market in 10 to 12 years. The tree should be cut when the diameter is 15 to 17 centimeters. Along with this, the length of the tree should be 50 to 60 feet.

Agarwood plant is less prone to diseases. Sometimes the plant turns yellow. There is a worm called Electro Bitiya, which climbs the tree. For this, bio fertilizer fossil is used. Cow dung is used. No special disease occurs. All the nutrition should be given to the plant, so that there is no disease in the plant.

Permission from Forest Department for cultivation of Agarwood tree

Permission has to be taken from the Forest Department to cultivate Agarwood. Only then can the farmer cultivate Agarwood tree. For permission, the farmer has to give the survey number of the field and information about the expenses incurred in cultivation.

Subsidy on Agarwood cultivation 

Farmers get subsidy from the government for Agarwood cultivation. For this, you can contact your nearest agriculture directorate. Along with this, the crop also has to be entered in the forest department. After this, the forest department officials inspect the trees. After this, the payment comes after two to three years.

Government or private insurance on Agarwood

The government provides insurance for Agarwood trees. The price of Agarwood wood goes up to about 1 lakh US dollars per kilogram. If your crop is damaged or the wood is stolen, the government compensates for the loss caused due to this.