Assam BJP backs government’s agarwood push, calls for growers to get fair share

The Assam Pradesh unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party on August 28 welcomed the state government's initiative to strengthen the agarwood sector, while stressing that the economic benefits of the industry must reach genuine growers.

BJP Assam Pradesh spokesperson Jayanta Kumar Goswami said there should be “no monopoly of any group” over the agarwood sector and urged the government to ensure that the rights and interests of indigenous growers remain at the centre of the new framework.

Goswami said generations of indigenous farmers and families in Assam have invested their land, labour and resources in agarwood cultivation, but genuine growers have often failed to receive a proportionate share of the sector's growing commercial value.

“The farmer who plants an agarwood tree, nurtures it for years and invests his land, labour and money must be the first and foremost beneficiary of the economic value generated from agarwood. The benefits of the agarwood trade cannot remain confined to any particular group or intermediary network,” he said.

He called for a transparent policy framework and clear eligibility criteria to ensure that genuine growers directly benefit from registration, fair valuation, transportation, processing and export of agarwood.

Goswami said agarwood was not merely a commercial crop but an important natural resource closely linked to Assam's rural and indigenous economy. With scientific cultivation, modern technology and better access to international markets, he said the sector could become a major source of livelihood for thousands of families.

“The value of Assam's agarwood may increase in markets outside the State, but its economic benefits must first reach the homes of Assam's agarwood growers,” he said.

The BJP spokesperson also welcomed the government's efforts to reduce procedural and regulatory difficulties related to agarwood plantation, felling, transportation and trade, while promoting the state's agarwood products in international markets.

He said bringing small growers, entrepreneurs and other stakeholders into an organised value chain could generate substantial employment and self-employment opportunities in rural Assam.

Goswami also advocated expanding value-added production of agarwood oil, attar, fragrances and other products within the state so that Assam could move beyond supplying raw agarwood and develop into a major processing and export hub.

He thanked Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for the initiative and acknowledged the role of Forest Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah, Industries Minister Bimal Borah and Agriculture Minister Pijush Hazarika in engaging with growers, producers and other stakeholders.

The BJP said the government's approach could open a new chapter in the economic empowerment of Assam's indigenous communities, provided genuine growers remain at the centre of ownership, value creation and economic benefits from the sector.