Agarwood (Oud) Cultivation of Assam

## Agarwood — Liquid Gold from Assam's Forests Agarwood (Aquilaria malaccensis, locally called "Sasi" or "Agaru") produces one of the world's most expensive natural products — oud resin and oil, worth more than gold by weight in global perfume markets. Assam and Nagaland are India's primary agarwood zones. ### Formation of Oud Healthy Aquilaria trees do not produce oud. When the tree is infected by a specific mould (Phialophora parasitica), it produces a dark, dense, aromatic resin as a defence response — this resinous heartwood is "agarwood." The highest-grade oud can fetch ₹5–25 lakh per kilogram. ### Artificial Induction Natural infection takes 50–100 years. Modern cultivation uses artificial inoculation — injecting the fungus into the tree — which produces harvestable oud in 5–8 years. RFRI (Rain Forest Research Institute) Jorhat has developed inoculation protocols. ### Products - **Oud chips**: Burned as incense in Middle East, Japan, and Southeast Asia - **Oud oil (Dehn al oud)**: Distilled essential oil, one of the most expensive perfume ingredients - **Bakhoor**: Blended oud chips sold for home fragrance in Gulf countries ### Trade and Conservation Aquilaria malaccensis is listed in CITES Appendix II (regulated international trade). India's wild agarwood is under severe poaching pressure. Cultivated farm agarwood from Assam is a legal, sustainable alternative that provides livelihood to small farmers.