The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) and Chemicals and Allied Products Export Promotion Council (CHEMEXCIL) organized an Industry Summit on Prospects & Export of Agarwood Oil from India in New Delhi on August 11, 2026. The summit brought together representatives from fragrance, essential-oil, perfumery, incense, processing, and export industries, along with scientific institutions, policymakers, and regulatory agencies to deliberate on commercial prospects and export of Indian agarwood, particularly from the North Eastern Region (NER).
Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region Dr. Sukanta Majumdar appealed to industry leaders to invest in the agarwood sector, integrate cutting-edge extraction technology, build world-class brands, and form global commercial alliances. Secretary MDoNER Shri Katikithala Srinivas emphasized the ministry's commitment to realizing the potential of the Indian Agarwood Oil industry. Joint Secretary Shri Angshuman Dey read a message from Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia outlining five specific requests to industry partners: build long-term market linkages with FPOs, invest in processing capacity within Northeast, deepen technology partnerships, establish strong identity through standards and certification, and invest in the story of Indian oud.
The North Eastern Region hosts over 96% of India's agarwood resource base, with an estimated 139.89 million agarwood trees nationwide. Assam alone accounts for approximately 114.3 million trees, followed by Tripura with about 15.15 million trees, with additional resources in Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya and other North Eastern States. Agarwood is processed into chips and oil for perfumery, incense, and premium products with strong demand in Gulf markets and expanding use in Europe, United States, and East Asia.
A key outcome was the release of the Roadmap for Agarwood Export Promotion from the North Eastern Region, providing a focused framework for coordinated action involving government agencies, North Eastern States, Export Promotion Councils, and stakeholders to facilitate exports, strengthen market linkages, and promote compliant trade. This builds on previous initiatives including an Inter-Ministerial Task Force constituted in November 2023 and an Agarwood Steering Group formed in February 2025.
Several key measures have been implemented under the roadmap: enhancement of agarwood export quota, digitization of Certificate of Origin, facilitation for personal carriage of specified agarwood products, resource mapping in Assam and Tripura, empanelment of validated inoculum suppliers, and initiation of GI registration and standard development for agarwood oil. MDoNER has supported value addition through Agarwood Cluster Development Projects in Assam and Tripura under PM-DevINE and the Agarwood International Trade and Research Centre in Agartala under NEC schemes.
An Agarwood Export Promotion Cell was constituted in May 2026 involving Ministry of Commerce and Export Promotion Councils CHEMEXCIL and SHEFEXIL for focused action on export promotion, exporter facilitation, and market development. The sector is now transitioning from government facilitation to industry-led market development for agarwood exports from the North Eastern Region.