Kohima, March 7 (MExN): Principal Secretary of the DEFCC, Y Kikheto Sema has expressed concern over the limited export quota allocated to Nagaland for agarwood products during discussions at the RFRI, Jorhat.
Nagaland’s annual export quota for agarwood chips/powder and oil is reportedly fixed at 3,400 kg and 180 kg respectively, constituting only 2.25% and 2.55% of the national quota, despite the state possessing substantial agarwood resources with natural infection.
The quota allocation was based on the Non-Detrimental Finding (NDF) study conducted by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI), a delegation of DEFCC was informed during its visit to RFRI Jorhat on March 6.
Sema, however, questioned the methodology of the study, stating that such an assessment should have involved the state government and covered the length and breadth of Nagaland instead of relying on limited sample-based observations.
He indicated that the state government would take up the matter with the BSI and the Government of India for corrective measures.
Sema further observed that Nagaland may have at least 25 lakh agarwood trees, indicating a significant expansion of cultivation in recent years.
He also noted that nearly 80% of the national agarwood export quota has been allocated to Assam, even though Assam, Tripura and Nagaland possess some of the largest agarwood plantations in the country.
Due to the absence of a comprehensive policy to support cultivation, processing and trade, farmers in Nagaland often fail to receive fair prices for their produce and are sometimes compelled to sell to buyers from Assam at distress rates, he added.
Referring to the Union Budget 2026 announcement proposing support for agarwood cultivation and trade in the North-East, Sema said the policy initiative presents a timely opportunity for states like Nagaland to develop a structured and scientifically guided agarwood sector.
However, he noted that limited scientific information on agarwood species present in Nagaland and their suitability to the state’s terrain and climatic conditions remains a bottleneck, which could be addressed through research and technical interventions by institutions such as RFRI, Jorhat.
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