New Delhi: Dr Jehirul Islam from Assam’s Golaghat district is on a mission to take the lead in the Centre's One District One Product (ODOP) initiative with the state's first make-in perfume from agar.
The One District One Product is a central government initiative aiming at manifesting the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to foster balanced regional development across all districts of the country.
Dr Islam has already attracted hordes of visitors at the Assam Pavilion in the ongoing 43rd India International Trade Fair (IITF) in New Delhi. "My intention is to make this agar-made product a global attraction," Islam told ETV Bharat on Wednesday.
Agarwood, or Aquilaria malaccensis, is mostly grown in Assam and a few parts of the North East. Its oil is used as an aromatic; in medicine and for religious purposes. However, the highest use of its oil is in making expensive perfumes.
Notably, the "Assam Agarwood Promotion Policy 2020" supports the agar cultivation and its downstream industries from perfumes to critical chemical ingredients of medicines, etc. Under the policy, a state-of-the-art international trade centre for agar business is coming up in Assam's Golaghat district.
According to Dr Islam, the international trade centre is expected to be highly beneficial for local agarwood cultivators and traders. This centre will provide them with a valuable platform where international buyers can directly purchase agarwood products. The direct access to a global market means local producers and traders can secure better prices and expand their business without relying heavily on intermediaries, he said.
"Agar (Aloewood or eaglewood) is the next tea and oil for Assam if developed systematically. Assam's climate and the landscape of Assam are best suited for agar trees. There is a high demand of agarwood of Assam in the global markets particularly, in the Middle East because of its best-quality aroma. Besides, a huge domestic market of favors and perfumes is also knocking the door," Assam Chief Secretary Ravi Kota has said.
He said that the global agarwood chip market alone is going to grow to USD 16.5 billion by 2034. Dr Islam returned to Assam from Saudi Arabia in 2008 and plunged headlong into deep research in agarwood farming.
"I was into another profession before I returned to Assam in 2008 and took the initiative of promoting agar. Due to my interest and curiosity, I entered deep into the agar industry and started promoting it," added Dr Islam.
With the state’s first licensed manufacturing cum retail store in Guwahati, Dr Islam is now planning to set up outlets in Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai and other cities.
According to Dr Islam, agar wood, oil and perfumes are in high demand in the international markets. "It has a great future in business. To get higher harvestable wood from each tree either agar wood or agar oil, it is desirable to induce stress to the tree after 8 to 10 years of growth or even early. This is the advanced stage of oil formation,"0 said Dr Islam.
He claimed that agar oil is also beneficial in treating cancer patients. "Our products are being tested by the National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research (NIPER). We have found several chemical compounds in the agar products including 5-cyclodecen-1-o1 which helps in cancer treatment," said Dr Islam.
A study conducted by Botanical Survey of India, Assam’s Golaghat district alone has an estimated 45 million plants. Similar quantities are also available in Jorhat, Sibsagar, Dibrugarh and other districts of the state.
