Several areca growers in Malnad region, who had started growing agarwood about 10 to 12 years ago hoping for good returns, are now disappointed. A few have gone for mass cutting of trees, while many have ignored the trees on the farm without further processing.
The traditional areca growers, who suffered a huge loss following the wide spread of yellow-leaf disease, were attracted to agarwood, given the market for their value-added products. Following extensive promotion activity by private companies, the growers opted for the crop. They were assured of good returns after six to eight years.
Artificially infected
Agarwood trees are naturally grown in the north-eastern part of India. There, the trees get naturally infected with fungi that help form fragrant resin, which has huge demand. However, here, the growers go for artificial inoculation after the tree has grown for a few years. Through a chemical process, trees are infected with fungus. The growers are losing interest as the inoculation process did not show the desired result.
Seetharam Hegde of Neernahalli in Sirsi, Uttara Kannada, cut around 500 plants recently. “We planted the seedlings about 10 to 12 years ago. The representatives of a private company, promoting the crop, had said that by the sixth year inoculation could be done. However, in six years, the growth of trees was insufficient. Finally, inoculation was done in the 10th year. By and large, it was a failure. The process was successful in some trees, and we earned about ₹15,000 to ₹16,000 per tree. That was a meagre sum compared to what we earn in areca, pepper, and coffee,” he said. Besides that, he noticed the yield from areca and pepper plants also came down because of agarwood plantation.
Saplings sold
The private companies are expected to have sold over 12 lakh seedlings of agarwood in the last 15 years in Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada districts. A few farmers are happy with the returns. Jayaprakash of Kalale village in Hosanagar taluk told The Hindu that he had been earning up to ₹25,000 per tree. He has grown over 5,000 plants and he has started earning income in the last two years. “The income from agarwood is higher than areca farms. However, many people have not understood this fact,” he said.
Similarly, Nityanand Shetty of Nalur in Tirthahalli is optimistic about the crop. He has grown about 1,500 plants of agarwood. “Growers should have patience. The private company people had told us that we would be earning in the sixth or eighth year. That did not happen. As the crop is new to this climate, we need to be patient. I am confident of earning well in the coming days,” he said.
However, Umesh of Hosakeri in Tirthahalli has lost hope of a good income. He grew about 50 plants a few years ago. “It is a waste of expense. I am not going for the inoculation of the plants, as it increases my burden. Many have lost money and time by cultivating agarwood,” he said.
Still to be studied
Horticulture scientists state that farmers should take up any new crop only after scientific research suggests it. Dr. Nagarajappa Adivappar, head of the Arecanut Research Centre in Shivamogga, said that agarwood would naturally attract fungal infection in the Indo-Burman region. “It does not happen naturally in the tropical environment. Many opt for artificial inoculation. It needs to be studied how far such an experiment is profitable to growers,” he said.
