Tripura Agarwood Gets Centre’s Push for Sustainable Cultivation and Exports

New Delhi: The Centre is taking several steps to promote the legal and sustainable cultivation and export of agarwood in Tripura and other northeastern states, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh informed Parliament.

The minister was replying to a question from Tripura East MP Kriti Devi Debbarman. He said agarwood can create jobs in rural areas, increase exports and also support the environment.

For Tripura, the government has fixed an annual export limit of 22,500 kg of plantation-grown agarwood chips, powder and sawdust, along with 1,047 kg of agarwood oil, for the financial years 2024-25 to 2026-27.

Agarwood promotion through agroforestry has also been included in the Union Budget 2026-27. The export limits were decided based on a 2024 study that assessed how much cultivated agarwood could be exported without harming its availability.

The minister said the government has also looked into requests from Tripura and other stakeholders to make the rules for transporting, certifying and exporting cultivated agarwood easier.

To make the export process simpler and more transparent, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) has developed a special Certificate of Origin module for agarwood on the Trade Connect ePlatform.

Through the digital system, exporters can provide information about the source of the agarwood, stock, movement and inspection records. This will help track agarwood products and improve transparency.

The government is also supporting scientific methods to grow agarwood. The Rain Forest Research Institute (RFRI), Jorhat, is providing technical support to growers and helping them avoid unregulated service providers.

The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) is supporting agarwood cultivation and processing through projects under the PM-DevINE Scheme. This includes the Agarwood Cluster Development Project being implemented by NERAMAC.

The Centre expects these steps to help agarwood growers earn better incomes and promote legal and sustainable exports from Tripura and other northeastern states.

Also Read: Assam Flood Death Toll Rises to 103, Over 86,800 People Still Affected