Guwahati airport cleared as export point for agarwood chips and oil

The Centre has approved Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (LGBIA) in Guwahati as an authorised export point for agarwood chips and agarwood oil, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced on Saturday.

In a post on X, Goyal called the decision a big relief for the farmers, producers and exporters of agarwood, a product in which Assam leads the country. He said it would bring potential markets closer to the North East and described it as a major logistics gain for the region.

Why the airport matters

Agarwood, known as agar or sanchi in Assam and as oud in West Asia, is a dark, resin-filled wood that forms inside some Aquilaria trees after injury or fungal infection. It is processed into chips and an aromatic oil used in perfumes and incense, and fetches high prices in Gulf markets.

Until now, producers in the region could not ship these items directly from Guwahati. Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said on Monday, while flagging off a 123 kg consignment of Golaghat agarwood chips to Dubai, that the state was working to get the airport recognised for such exports so growers could reach foreign buyers without routing goods through other cities.

That Monday shipment, sent by MJI Group under the One District One Product (ODOP) scheme, was the second such export of agarwood chips from the state, the Chief Minister had said. Assam's first legally approved agarwood consignments went to Saudi Arabia and the UAE in May this year.

The scale in Assam and the North East

According to figures cited in a PIB release and reported by The Economic Times, India has about 13.99 crore agarwood trees, and nearly 96.6% of them are in the North East. Assam alone has around 11.43 crore trees, followed by Tripura with about 1.5 crore.

Sarma has put the number of farmers involved in agarwood cultivation in Assam at around 50,000. The state has set up a task force, involving the Agriculture, Industries and Forest departments, to seek formal recognition of agarwood cultivation.

What comes next

Exporters will still need the usual trade and forest clearances for each consignment. The direct export route from Guwahati is expected to cut transport costs and time for growers in Golaghat, Hojai, Nagaon and other agarwood belts, and could help Tripura and other NE producers as well.