FWD: High volume of trade in agarwood

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Tuesday August 10, 2004

High volume of trade in agarwood

 

 

 

 

THE international trade in agarwood involves wood, wood chips, powder, oil and

finished products such as perfumes, incense and medicines.

 

Over 700 tonnes of agarwood from the Aquilaria malaccensis species was traded

in 1997 with 20 countries involved in export or re-export. The actual trade is

much larger taking into account the illegal trade to avoid duties and sale

prohibition laws.

 

Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and Malaysia appear to be the main sources of

agarwood but there is evidence of illegal harvest and trade in these countries

as well as in India, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam.

 

Traders say agarwood stocks in Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos have been depleted.

 

In Thailand, supplies sold in shops are mostly illegally collected and exported

from Cambodia. Thailand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Vietnam are major re-export

locations.

 

Agarwood is graded according to quality and country of origin. In the Middle

East and India, fragrance is the most important quality whereas in Taiwan where

it is used for medicinal purposes, the quantity and composition of the resinous

material in the wood is paramount.

 

Illegal harvesting of Aquilaria has led to population depletion in the wild,

like in India. It is now a net importer and its existing Aquilaria populations

are critically endangered.

 

Attempts to cultivate Aquilaria have been inconclusive; so all Aquilaria

species exist exclusively in the wild. In South-East Asia, this means it is

harvested in national parks and protected areas.

 

Agarwood is located deep within the trunk of Aquilaria trees and sometimes on

the roots, so detecting its presence is not easy. Collectors typically look for

old wounds and insect holes and then check for agar formation.

 

The resin is formed due to the tree’s response to fungal infection. Infected

trees produce resin from the age of 20 years onwards, and trees aged 50 years

and above give the best yields.

 

Traditional collecting methods in Thailand involve chipping or cutting the

infected part of the tree. Aquilaria trees are relatively robust and can be

tapped in this way for over 10 years before they die. Collectors also bore holes

into the tree to encourage formation of agarwood.

 

As old, high quality agarwood become scarce, harvesters turn to

lightly-infected trees. These are felled entirely and reduced to chips for oil

extraction.

 

Source: Vanishing Scent, WildAid Foundation (Thailand), unpublished report.

 

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