The Centre has introduced a series of measures to promote the legal and sustainable cultivation, processing and export of agarwood from Tripura and other North-Eastern states, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh informed Parliament.

The Minister was responding to a question raised by Tripura East MP Kriti Devi Debbarman on the potential of agarwood cultivation and trade to generate rural employment, increase exports and support ecological sustainability.

He said the promotion of agarwood through agroforestry systems has been included among the announcements under the Union Budget 2026-27. The Ministry has also assessed the availability of cultivated agarwood for sustainable exports through the 2024 Non-Detriment Finding (NDF) Study.

Based on the study's recommendations, the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT), through Notification No. 52/2024-25 issued on January 20, 2025, prescribed annual export quotas for plantation-grown agarwood for the financial years 2024-25 to 2026-27.

For Tripura, the permitted annual export quota has been fixed at 22,500 kg of agarwood chips, powder and sawdust and 1,047 kg of agarwood oil.

The Minister said the government had also received representations from the Tripura Government and other stakeholders seeking simpler procedures for the transit, certification and export of cultivated agarwood and its value-added products.

These concerns were examined through consultations involving the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER), DGFT, agarwood-producing states, exporters, industry bodies and other stakeholders.

As part of efforts to improve ease of doing business, DGFT, in coordination with the Environment Ministry, has introduced a dedicated Certificate of Origin (COO) module for agarwood on the Trade Connect ePlatform.

The digital facility enables exporters to submit applications online with information on the source of origin, available stock, chain of custody and inspection records. The system is intended to strengthen transparency and traceability while reducing physical interaction and facilitating time-bound processing.

The Centre is also promoting scientific inoculation of agarwood trees. The Rain Forest Research Institute (RFRI), Jorhat, provides technical support to growers to protect their interests and reduce the risk of exploitation by unregulated service providers.

Meanwhile, MDoNER is supporting sustainable agarwood cultivation and value addition through projects under the PM-DevINE scheme, including the Agarwood Cluster Development Project being implemented by the North Eastern Regional Agricultural Marketing Corporation Limited (NERAMAC).