This is a new technology to cultivate agarwood invented by Prof. Robert A. Blanchette of University of Minnesota, USA. This technology confirms 100% agar formation in trees. This technology is practiced around the world & has become very popular. In Bangladesh, this technology in introduced by Mohammed Sarwar Hossain, Exclusive patent licensee in Bangladesh and Proprietor of Khwaja Agri-Horticultural Research Centre, Dhaka,Bangladesh. For further information please contact at The co-researcher of Prof. Robert A. Blanchette was Henry Heuvelling van Beek, Director CA LLC. This file has been uploaded by Elias Saif, an executive of Khwaja Agri-Horticultural Research Centre.

1. AGAR
Prospecttowards Prosperity
-by Mohammed Sarwar Hossain
Introduction:
The sourceof Agarwood is the Aquilaria (agar)tree.This evergreen tree bearsflowers that are sweetly
scented.
Agarwoodis a highly pized incensethat is extremelyrare. It has at leasta 3000-yearhistory in the
Middle East,China and Japan.
Sinceagesour peoplehas knowledgeand experience agarwoodand agaroil in Bangladesh.
of
quot;Current levelsof exploitationfor forestmay be a significantfactor in increasingtheir threatof
extinction.For years,treesof the genusAquilaria havebeenthe principle sourceof Agarwood,(also
gaharu,aloeswoodamongstothers),one of the most valuableforestproductstraded
calledeaglewood,
internationally.Trees can produce Agarwood are found throughout South and Southeast Asia from India
to as far eastas PapuaNew Guinea.quot; (Ref.:CITES,thirteenthmeetingof the Plants Committee, Geneva
(Switzerland), 2'' - I 5'nAugust 2003)
I
Usesof Aqarwood:
Agarwoodis usedin traditionalmedicinesystems suchas Ayurvedic, Tibetanand TraditionalEastAsian
medicineand its fragrancemakesit a popularingredientof perfumes.Agarwood is also burnedto create
for
incense examplein India, Japan and the Middte East. Lesscommonly, it can be usedas an insect
repellentand as an ingredientin wine. (Ref . CITES,thirteenthmeetingof the Plants Committee,
Geneva
(Switzerland), 2quot; - I 5quot; August 2003)
I
using agarwoodhasbecomevery popular in USA and Europ e. - (Henry
Recentlyaromatherapy
HeauvellingVanBeek,Director-The Tropical Rainforest Project).
Market price:
Agarwoodchips and segments may sell for severalhundredto severalthousandUS dollarsper
kilogramme.The price of oil distilled from Agarwood is generallybetweenfive and ten thousand US
dollarsper kilogramme,but can be significantlymore for Agarwood oil exceptionallyhigh quality.(Ref.;
CITES,thirteenthmeetingof the Plants Committee, Geneva(Su,itzerland),
I2th-l5thAugust 2003)
(lt{ote:This price is applicablefor naturalAgarwood only).
Agar in plantation & artificially Agar production technology:
(a) Natural Process:
When infectedby certainfungi, Aquilaria trees,amongstothers,produceAgarwood,the greatest volumes
of resinbeing found in treesaged50 yearsor more. However,as only infectedtreesproduceAgarwood;
uninfected treesare of negligible commercialvalue. If Agarwood is present,it existsin unpredictable
quantitiesand qualitiesthat can only be fully determinedoncethe tree has beensplit open,this resultin
many treesbeing felled needlessly thus causingdrasticdeclinesin wild populations.(Ref.:CITES,
thirteenthmeetingof the Plants Committee, Geneva(Switzerland),I2th-l5thAugust 2003)
(b) Traditional method:
In variouspartsof the world eventoday peopletry different methodsby injuring the tree artificially to
obtainAgarwoodand Agar oil. Thesemethodsmakethe mortality rate of the plant very high.

2. what is traditionallytried by the farmerststhe nailing method.But very little,low
In Bangladesh,
gradeand contaminated agaroil can be extracted from this method.Besidesthis methodcan only be
practicedin full monsoon.
In naturalforests,illegal poachinghasresultedin making treesendangered.
International
organizations
as CITES, IUCN, TRAFFIC, FAO & EC etc. havemountedefforts and at the momentplaying
such
activerole in preserving this endangered
species.
basedTRP has undertaken project whoseconceptis peoplebasednatureconservation
European a and
sponsored the EuropeanCommission.
by
TRP is working on economicallyand environmentally Agarwood development.
sustainable
methodincluding of resin formation in young plantationgrowth treeshasbeendeveloped
A successful
and the process continuallybeing refined and optimizedwith ongoingresearch
is with TRP cooperator
and wood microbiologistProf. Robert Blanchette, University of Minnesota, USA. (Ref.: Therainforest
r tp
P r oj ect wv,tu.ther ai rLfo e,s r oi ect.ne| ).
Most importantly,experiments showedthat TRP was ableto induceAgarwood in plantedtrees,up to
ten-times faster then in natureand in much higher quantities.( Ref.. TherainforestProject
pr oi ect.neI I.
Iher
v,tquot;-tv. uinlbrest
(Note: In much higher quantitiesmeanscompared othertraditionalmethodssuchas nailing, axe
to
practicedaroundthe world).
wounding,etc.
BetweenNovember 1Oth i 5th2003, Prof. RobertA. Blanchette
and announced success First
his in
Agarwood Conference
International which was held in Vietnam organizedby TRP.
Over 80 delegates attended from a multitude of backgrounds and countries.During two daysof
presentations Ho Chi Minh City, chemists,
in forestpathologists, molecularbiologists,pharmacologists,
people,governmentofficials, forestryextension experts,perfumers,
business incense
and conservation
manufacturers, aromatherapists
and exchanged ideason wide-rangingtopics.
(Ref.: The r ainforest Pr oj ect v,v,w'.her crin-quot;fbstpr ri ect.net ).
t re
Among these80 delegates, representatives CITES, IUCN, TRAFFIC, FAO & EC etc. were present.
of
(Henry Heauvelling Van Beek,Director-The Tropical Rainforest Project).
IntemationalConference
Second was held in Bangkok from March 4 to 11, 2007 at Kasetsart
University, organized TRP and sponsored CITES, TRAFFIC, IUCN, FAO and EC etc.
by by
Opinion of FAO regarding First International Agarwood Conference:
quot;This conference
will follow up on the experience and the feedbackof the hugely successful
First
International
Agarwood Conference, held at Viet Nam in November2003.quot;
Also in SecondInternational
Agarwood Conference, Agarwood (inducement) productiontechnology(i.e.
CA Kit technology)was discussed
along with othertopics. (Ref.:FAO CorporateDocumentRepository).
Prof. RobertA. Blanchettepresented generation CA Kits in First International
l't Agarwood Conference
and improved2ndgeneration CA Kits in SecondInternationalAgarwood Conference and was discussed.
CA Kits hasbeensuccessfully
usedin numerouscountriesincluding Bhutan, Malaysia, Thailand, Laos,
Papua New Guinea and Vietnam for many years.

3. The CA Kit usespharmaceutical gradegelatincapsules
filled with non harmful inorganiccompounds
which do not contaminate soil or plants.Thesecompounds usedin many fields including food
are
productionand water treatmentand meet Europeans, USA, and WHO environmental safety
((Henry Heauvelling VanBeek,Director-TheTropical Rainforest Project and Director-
requirements.
cALLC).
After severalfield tests,Prof. Robert Blanchette cameup with improved3'd generation CA Kit which
was formally announced a seminarheld on 16thMay, 2008 at Borolekha, MoulvibazarrBangladesh.
in
This is the only scientificallytestedand patentedtechnologyavailableat present.
Uses of CA Kit technologyin user countrieshas enrichedrural economyby creatingemployment
opportunityin the field of seedcollection,plantation,gardenmaintenance, Kits inoculation,plant
CA
harvesting,agarchips production agaroil production,management marketingetc.
and
,
Also created profitable investmentopportunityfor the investorsand earnedvaluableforeign currency
a
for thosecountries.
The inventionof this technologyhashelpedconservation endangered
of Aquilaria species user
in
countries,besidesmore plantationshasresultedin environment improvement.
(Private Sector):
Agar in Bangladesh
Sinceagesthe peopleof Sujanagar union under Borolekhaupazllaof Moulvibazar district in Sylhet
division havebeenfamiliar and experienced with agarextraction,chips productionand oil extractionin
traditionalnailing method.
Naturally formedagarwoodis hardly availableas very rarely it is formed in trees.But very little, low
gradeagaroil can be extractedfrom any agartree.
Among thosewho extractagaroil, there is a small group of factory ownerswho extractsagaroil from
white agarwood only. (Note: In suchtressneithernaturallyagarwas formed nor any technologyhad been
applied).
Thesefactory ownersdo not follow the nailing methodas their ancestors neverdid. They considerit to be
as an act of sin because agaroil is also usedfor medicinalpurpose.They believethat the rust of iron
which is found due to the nailing methodactuallycontaminates agaroil.
the
After the announcement 3'o generation CA Kit by Prof. Robert Blanchette, in a seminarheld on 16th
of
May,2008 at Borolekha,Moulvibazar, Bangladesh, peopledecided to applynailingmethod
several not
to their trees.They are anxiouslywaiting for CA Kits to be availablein the market.
Even beforethe seminar,the local farmerswere awareof the CA Kits from sources BRAC and
of
SQUARE. Also someof the factory ownersof Moulvibazar weretrying to get the patentof CA Kits.
In fact Most of the factory ownersand traderstravel aroundSouth East Asia, Middle East and they
havecometo know aboutthe market demandof CA Kits appliedproducts. At present, extractingagaroil
from treesin which nailing methodhasbeenappliedis practicedby somefactory owners.Because, this in
way slightly more and a bit betterquality agaroil is achievedcomparedto oil extracted from white agar
wood.
that of Forest
During the period of 1998to 2004,the govt. of Bangladesh experimentallyand successfully
has planted
agartreesin785.67 hectares land. (Ref. book-Agar-Experimental
of Agar production Project-published
by Departmentof Forest under the Ministry of Environment and Forest).
Looking at the successfulresult of previousexperimental
plantation,anotherprogramfor planting 6.5
million of agarplantswas taken up. . (Ref,book-AgarBonayon- published by Departmenlof Forist under
the Ministry of Environmentand Forest).

4. The total amountof money investedin the experimentalagarplantationproject was Tk.-2.9 croreonly. At
present marketvalue of this project is Tk.-380 crore.
the
Presently agarindustryprovidesemploymentof l0 lac working days.And if there is a plannedway of
agarplantationthen it will provide employmentof at least30 crore working days and will earnforeign
currencyof at leastTk-500 crore. (Ref. book-Agar-Experimental Agar production Project-published by
Departmentof Forest under the Ministry of Environmentand Forest).
Appropriatetechnologysuchas CA Kit technologyif adoptedthen employmentopportunityand foreign
culrencyeamingwill increase. Moreover usageof this technologyconfirms 100%Agar formationin
Aquilaria trees.This technologyalso ensures
betterquality and more quantity of Agarwood and Agar oil
than any othermethod/technology present. reduces time durationof harvesting.
at It the
InternetLinks.
l) www.ther ai n-foestpr o-i ct.net
r e
2) http://www..fao. g/docr ep/ 009/ a 09I 7e/A 09 I 7e08.hrm
or
3) www fu estpathoIo grt.
cfans.umn.edu/agarw ood.htm
4) www.scentedmount com
ain.
5) www.cultivatedagarw ood.com
Signature MohammedSarwarHossain.
of
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