Photo Courtesy: India Today Group
Guwahati: Assam is pushing to grow its agarwood sector. State minister Bimal Borah announced a fresh initiative to help farmers and expand business opportunities. The government set up a task force to tackle regulatory hurdles that previously spooked growers. Officials want to clear up past fears that cultivation invited legal trouble.
Borah says the path is now open. "The message now is that people can take up agarwood cultivation freely within the rules," he stated. The state successfully secured an export quota to facilitate legal shipments. This ends the struggle traders faced when trying to move products out of the region.
The Agriculture, Forest, and Industries departments are teaming up to build a stronger economy around the trade. They plan to develop downstream industries and simplify operations. Exporters still need approval from the Directorate General of Foreign Trade to ship out chips. Borah expressed doubt over export volume claims, noting that only 112 kg of agarwood chips officially cleared the state.
The minister also alleged that some traders pass off foreign imports as local products after processing them in places like Barnihat. He further accused businessman and politician Badruddin Ajmal of involvement in illegal trade activities. No evidence was provided for these claims, and Ajmal has not responded. The government remains focused on expanding the sector through better coordination and formal regulation.
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