Guwahati: The Assam government is working towards strengthening the state’s agarwood sector by streamlining processes from plantation and processing to marketing, Agriculture Minister Pijush Hazarika said on Wednesday.
Hazarika said the government is focusing on creating a sustainable agarwood value chain that can increase returns for farmers, promote value addition within Assam and generate opportunities for young entrepreneurs.
The minister attended the Agarwood Stakeholders’ Meet at the Assam Administrative Staff College (AASC), Khanapara, along with Cabinet colleagues, senior government officials, farmers, industry representatives and experts.
The meeting discussed ways to make the agarwood sector more accessible and commercially viable for farmers while ensuring that the state’s natural forests are protected.
Hazarika said a newly constituted Cabinet Task Force on Agarwood would work towards simplifying procedures for farmers and improving coordination among various departments involved in the sector.
He also attended the first Multi-Departmental Task Force Meeting, where discussions focused on developing a sustainable value chain and expediting the formulation of a new Agarwood Policy for Assam.
The Agriculture Minister said agarwood has the potential to emerge as a major high-value commercial opportunity for Assam, particularly benefiting farmers and young entrepreneurs.
The government’s approach, he said, would seek to maximise economic returns from agarwood cultivation while ensuring sustainable practices and preventing pressure on natural forest resources.
The state is now expected to work towards faster finalisation of the new policy and improved coordination between farmers, government agencies and industry stakeholders to unlock the commercial potential of Assam’s agarwood sector.