From past few years’ attention is given to stimulate Agar plantation. Now from 2-3 years we have been working on implementing inoculation methods for agar trees. You can find full information about the successful inoculation of this material and visiting to farms and processing units in Thailand, where our companies collaborates. Here we are working on adapting with appropriate modifications for our part of cultivation zone. As a matter of progress for the industry we are working in innovations tours various growing countryes including Thailand.
Several inoculation methods are in progress in the Thailand. Most importantly, practises are adopted where in medicine is 2 to 4 times per tree. Culture solution is given to the trees to obtain a fixed amount of agar. Our company is progressively integrating all these methods with the co-operation of the companies in which the inoculation program is implemented in the farmer’s farm. As a matter of course, we are being set up for processing in other countries and for ourselves. As per harvesting is concerned, the trees are harvested within 1-3 years and shipped to a processing plant in 1 meter long pieces. There, the bark is separated from the pieces by the appropriate equipment and divided into different grades according to the composition of the agar resin. If the agarwood chip is intended to produce agar chips, the agar resin parts are separated from the micro tools. In case of agarwood oil, partially resin is separated from the white wood. Then it is crushed by the machinery and used in the factory for the production of agar perfumery.
As a district, as planned previously, the processing plants will opened in accordance with crop density and will be launched in collaboration with the promoters. Inoculation has already been conducted in several farmers’ farm in 2016 and 2017 in various districts. These trees are ready for harvest in 2018 and 2019. Similarly, the planted plants are ready for harvesting each year. In Abroad how Agarwood farming practices, inoculation systems, processing arrangements etc., are done, we personally visited to know about it and how we can develop the methods and the guidelines are outlined. In the case of agar farming, like Rubber plantation it is grown in a single crop. When we visited to different countries, Agarwood is planted to a distance of 7 feet or 8 feet. In case of destruction of trees due to inevitable cause (like wind, fire, disease etc) two crops are taken from the reclaimed tree. In some plantations, there is an innovative system of cultivation where in 4 plant are planted in the measurement of 3ft for every 15 feet.
There are also companies that plant and manage agar farms on large area of thousands of acres. There are also gardens of 5 to 10 acres, and also grown in around the house. Agar oil producing factories are located in areas where crop densities are present, growers have a long-term relationship with the factory and inoculation etc., are conducted according to the mutual need. In primary processing unit to cut down trees there are various grade workers, chips workers. Factories producing value added products that come from the primary components agar chips are re-engraved and equip ping for sale. Such units have systematic laboratory to test the quality of oil production, supply and sales etc.
