A high-level delegation recently visited the Agarwood Skill Training Centre at Tapan Nagar, Golaghat, highlighting Assam’s effort to turn its traditional agarwood industry into a skilled, organised and value-added rural enterprise.

The centre trains young people in agarwood chip cutting, artificial inoculation and oil distillation, helping them move from raw-resource activities towards technically skilled employment.

Why Is Agarwood Important for Assam?

• Agarwood, obtained mainly from Aquilaria malaccensis, is a highly valued aromatic wood used in perfumes, incense, traditional practices and essential oils. 
• Assam’s Agarwood Promotion Policy, 2020 describes the region as having a long tradition of agarwood production and identifies the sector as having significant economic potential.
• The policy specifically seeks to promote cultivation, sustainable harvesting, processing, trade, research and skill development.

What is Happening at the Golaghat Centre?

• The centre provides practical training in important stages of the agarwood value chain, including chip cutting, artificial inoculation and distillation.
• The recent visit involved representatives from the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region, Assam Government, North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation, National Federation of Farmers’ Procurement, Processing and Retailing Cooperatives of India and Rain Forest Research Institute.
• The involvement of research, marketing and government institutions can help connect skill development with scientific production and market access.

The Rain Forest Research Institute at Jorhat, under the Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, also conducts specialised training on agarwood cultivation and artificial inoculation for farmers, growers, self-help groups, entrepreneurs and students.

Objectives & Products

The larger objective is to build an end-to-end agarwood value chain rather than selling only raw wood.

• The sector can generate employment through cultivation, inoculation, harvesting, chip processing and oil extraction.
• Value-added products include agarwood chips, aromatic oil and fragrance-related products.
• Assam is also developing an Agar International Trade Centre in Golaghat to promote commercialisation and value-added products.
• North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation has also initiated work for an agarwood oil and chips processing centre at Golaghat, strengthening local processing capacity.

One-Line Wrap: The Golaghat training centre represents a shift from simply possessing Assam’s agarwood wealth to building the skills, technology and value chains needed to convert it into sustainable rural prosperity.