Indus Valley Times

By Dalim Phukan

Guwahati/Assam, Oct 26 : Assam Chief Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday flagged off an export consignment of 123 kg of agarwood chips from Guwahati to Dubai at a programme held at Lok Sewa Bhawan in Dispur.

The consignment, produced in Golaghat district, was dispatched by MJI Group under the State Government’s One District One Product (ODOP) initiative. On the occasion, the Chief Minister also presented cheques to three agarwood cultivators.

Speaking at the programme, Dr. Sarma said Assam had approximately 12 crore agarwood trees, supporting the livelihoods of around 50,000 farmers engaged in agarwood cultivation. He noted that the state accounted for 81 per cent of the country’s agarwood trees and had immense potential to earn foreign exchange through exports.

The Chief Minister said the State Government was working to secure recognition for Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport as an authorised export airport. Once recognised as an export hub, the airport would facilitate the direct export of agarwood products from Assam to international markets, enabling farmers to reap greater economic benefits.

Dr. Sarma further stated that the government had constituted a task force to work towards formal recognition of agarwood cultivation. The Departments of Agriculture, Industries and Forests are jointly working on the initiative.

Highlighting the selection of agarwood under the ODOP initiative for Golaghat district, the Chief Minister said local farmers had been engaged in agarwood cultivation for years but had not received fair prices for their produce.

He said MJI Group had recently taken the initiative to ensure that farmers received payments for their agarwood produce through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). He also pointed out that this was the second occasion on which agarwood chips had been dispatched abroad through this initiative.

Expressing optimism about the sector’s future, Dr. Sarma said agarwood cultivation could help Assam establish a distinct identity in international markets while creating significant opportunities for exports and improving farmers’ incomes.

Industries, Commerce and Public Enterprises Minister Bimal Bora, senior government officials and representatives of MJI Group were present at the programme.