Agarwood The Only Rare Tree High Economic Value in The World

 Agus Faisal Karim (40 years old), appreciates inner satisfaction by being under the shade of trees, it is an infinite inner satisfaction. There are many ways that people do to appreciate their life satisfaction. Not a few people collect many luxury vehicles and properties just for inner satisfaction. Likewise, automotive enthusiasts, reptiles, chirping birds, clothing, jewelry, knick-knacks, mountain climbing, even in certain circles visiting a number of amazing places in the world, it is an invaluable inner satisfaction.

"While I am still young and given excess sustenance by God, I will set aside money so that I can go to various countries to visit tourist attractions that I have only watched on television. That is also a form of gratitude for God's creation," said Nur Alam (40 years old), a young middle-class entrepreneur.

Hobbies, which are presented as a person's character based on psychological conditions, often go beyond gender and age boundaries. Many men these days enjoy being cooks, and now a number of mountain climbing clubs and hard martial arts are filled with women. A person's psychological development cannot be predicted physically.

But for Agus Faisal Karim (40 years old), appreciating inner satisfaction by being under the shade of trees and watching chili, papaya, tomato, mango, and other types of fruit plants in bloom, is an infinite inner satisfaction.

"That is a sign that our hard work will soon bear fruit. For me, there is no more comfortable place to appreciate inner satisfaction than by farming. Nature provides comfort and peace for the soul. For other people my age, farming may be an untimely choice, but I feel that my choice is too late. The spiritual values ​​that nature gives to our souls make this life feel meaningful," said Agus who was met by bantenungkape.com in his garden in a corner of the village in Dalung Village, Cipocok District, Serang City, Banten, Thursday (20/4).

For 10 years Agus struggled with physical and psychological tension because his office demanded that he get the most up-to-date and hottest news every day, followed by having to send the daily news to his editors in Jakarta as soon as possible. Agus had to run as fast as for the mass media, the speed of publishing actual news that occurs every day, is a professionalism that will later become a reference for the public.

In 2003, Agus started his job as a reporter for Surya Cipta Television (SCTV). Since graduating from Gontor, Agus has been accustomed to working with newspaper editors, whether bulletins, tabloids, or magazines. But being a television reporter is a similar but different job. Since working at SCTV, Agus has had to run as fast as a deer with stamina as strong as a bull to fulfill the demands of his office. Because television is a product of visualizing events, not just presenting comments from eyewitnesses or sources.

"The rhythm gradually made me bored. In the long run it even made me feel stupid, because sometimes we forget everything due to being driven by work demands. Finally I tried to step aside," said this connoisseur of kretek cigarettes and black coffee.

Agus then decided to join and be active massively with his friends who were theater arts activists, including Nandang Aradea (deceased), Bagus Bageni, Otong Abdurrochim, Godi Suarna. Being in this group of soul art lovers, Agus felt his soul responded very positively.

"Art is beautiful. The more you absorb it, the stronger the values ​​of harmony between the physical and spiritual worlds. I then believed in the decision of many artists who could not separate themselves from that harmony," said the father of five children.

From this art activity, Agus then interacted with the lush and calm open nature of approximately two hectares in the Dalung area, 3,000 square meters of which is now a vehicle for appreciating his soul: farming.

After Nandang Aradea passed away in November 2013 due to chronic hepatitis, the Indonesian Arts Theater (TSI) then died because it lost its director and choreographer. The players, most of whom were students of the late Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa University (Untirta), returned to their "normal lives" as students.

Meanwhile, Agus and Bageni, who act as producers, remain in Dalung, discussing many things about art--occasionally discussing contemporary political issues--in a fairly large thatched hut. There, they also farm. In addition to horticultural plants including chili, eggplant, papaya and cassava, the two friends are currently growing approximately 50 agarwood trees.

Agarwood is the only rare tree in the world that has high economic value. Agarwood tree trunks that have turned black inside are sold on the world market at fantastic prices, reaching Rp250 million per kilogram. In Indonesia, the most significant distribution of agarwood ecosystems is in the regions of West Kalimantan, Sumatra and Papua. Hunting for wild agarwood in the forests is done by stabbing bushes and swamps using iron sticks. The most sought-after agarwood comes from trees that have fallen and been buried for tens to hundreds of years. This type of agarwood is the one with the highest selling value because it is usually over 50 years old.

"Judging from the trunk and leaves, it seems that the agarwood tree I am caring for is the aquilaria malaccensis type. The bark is white, and if left to grow it can reach 40 meters in height. Personally, I do not really know the ins and outs of agarwood. But I have many references regarding the cultivation of this rare tree. There is a special treatment that is quite complicated to produce world-class agarwood," said the author of several autobiographical books.

Literally, agarwood has the meaning of galih. This means that any tree that has a galih inside, yes it is agarwood. However, agarwood in the context of the most expensive wood in the world is only for the type of wood whose galih produces a distinctive resin. Well, the scent of the resin produced by agarwood is what makes this rare tree so highly valued.

Indonesia is the largest producer of agarwood for the world market with an export volume of up to 600 tons per year. However, now the export volume has dropped to only 50 tons per year (based on export data from the Ministry of Forestry). The decline in export value is due to the increasingly difficult production of agarwood due to theft and felling of young agarwood. Since 2004, the government has banned three types of agarwood from being traded, namely aquilaria malaccensis, aquilaria microcarpa, and aquilaria beccareana. The government then invited the public to cultivate agarwood because it has high economic value.

In the natural ecosystem, agarwood will not immediately produce galih before it is over 20 years old. However, the world market is now not based on the age of the wood, but on the quality of the resin oil produced. From the results of experiments by botanists, agarwood can now be produced when the tree is five years old by genetic engineering. Entering the age of four years, the agarwood trunk will be injected with a certain liquid through artificial holes with a gap of 20 centimeters. The holes are made in a circular pattern from the bottom of the trunk to the top. After being injected, the holes are then covered with wood to prevent evaporation and the entry of bacteria during the chemical process. This activity will be carried out continuously for a period of 3-5 years.

In Southeast Asia, the significant distribution of agarwood trees is in Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Malaysia. However, the most significant producer of agarwood for the export market is Indonesia. Agarwood resin is used as a world-class perfume, cosmetics, incense for intercession of worship, and even as a medicine for many diseases, including anticancer, kidney inflammation, gastritis, tuberculosis (TB) bacteria killer, and stroke.

"Agarwood is hope. But farming is a process of feeling. I get many values ​​of spiritual harmony while farming. I love this job. Spiritual work that perhaps not everyone will be able to feel the pleasure of interacting with many types of trees. I now understand why many farmers are happy to linger in their fields. When we feel at one with nature, the trees seem to be able to talk to us," said Agus in between his activities sowing thousands of agarwood seeds from the seeds that grow.

Around the agarwood nursery, hundreds of bamboo cuttings are lined up in polybags. Planting bamboo is one form of obedience to the teacher.

What is Gaharu?

Gaharu, which is widely known in Asia, is a resin that occurs in Aquilaria trees (order Thymelaeceae). Aquilaria is a fast-growing subtropical forest tree, with a population range stretching from the foothills of the Himalayas in South Asia, throughout Southeast Asia, and into the wilderness of Papua New Guinea. It grows from a few meters above sea level to approximately 1000 meters, with a range of 500 meters being the most ideal. Aquilaria can grow in a variety of soil conditions, including poor sandy soils. The nursery period requires shade and plenty of water and will grow rapidly, producing flowers and seeds from the age of four years. There are at least fifteen species of Aquilaria known to produce the sought-after gaharu. Aquilaria Achalloga is found mostly in South Asia, especially in India. Aquilaria Malaccensis is better known to come from Malaysia and Indonesia, while Aquilaria Crassna is more common in the Indochina region. There are also other types that are quite well known, such as Aquilaria Grandfolia, Aquilaria Chinesis, etc., although these types are species that are of relatively smaller use in the agarwood business.

Agarwood Uses

Agarwood has been traded and highly coveted for thousands of years. The sapwood is used as incense, for medicinal purposes, and the pure sap is distilled to make essential oils and as a component in perfumes. Outside its native country, Agarwood is widely known in the Middle East, China, Taiwan, and Japan. There is a strong connection between its use, religion, curative properties, and elaborate traditional and religious ceremonies throughout the world. Religious healers in the Middle East use agarwood in curative ceremonies. Japanese pilgrims donate flowers and oil to Shinto-Buddhist shrines, and Vietnamese religious groups bring agarwood to ceremonies at their temples in Mekong Delta communities.

Agarwood Value

The value of first-class agarwood is extremely high. A variety of products at various levels are available on the market, varying by geographic location and culture. Prices range from a few dollars per kilo for the lowest grade to over fifty thousand US dollars for the highest grade of Agarwood oil and resin. Aquilaria crassna is listed as endangered in Viet Nam, and A. malaccensis is listed as vulnerable by the World Conservation Union.

Extinction of Agarwood

The resin-bearing agarwood tree is threatened with extinction throughout its range throughout Southeast Asia. The driving force behind this project is the discontinuity of Aquilaria in natural forests, which has led to its near extinction in Viet Nam and elsewhere. Aquilaria crassna is now a protected species in Viet Nam. Trade and harvest restrictions are unlikely to be overcome without alternative forest-based crop development. In addition, in both the short and long term, the natural resource base needs to be maintained to provide genetic material for current and future Aquilaria plantations to prevent extinction, maintain diversity, and improve resin processing.

Agarwood Substitutes

The development of synthetic agarwood as a substitute usually occurs when natural materials are no longer available. One of the fundamental questions asked when considering the creation of this pilot project is, “Is it possible to produce imitation agarwood and agarwood oil?” The answer is no. Agarwood cannot be imitated. Chemical substitutes are available for perfume; they are cheap and the least profitable ingredients on the market. Furthermore, these products cannot mimic the original ingredients and therefore pose no threat to the processing of genuine agarwood products. The main chemical components that give agarwood products their distinctive aroma, 15-carbon chain compounds called “sesquiterterpenes”, can in principle be imitated. However, these compounds are extremely complex structures and very expensive to imitate, making them commercially unattractive.

Agarwood Essential Oil – Oil

Also known as Oud oil, agarwood is one of the most valuable, rare and certainly the most expensive essential oils available today, and is derived from the bark of the agarwood tree. There are a number of popular varieties but Aquilaria malaccensis, aquilaria agallocha or Aquilaria crassna are the ones used to make this oil. Agarwood is native to India and parts of Southeast Asia including Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia.

In its healthy state, agarwood is light or pale in color, but when infected, the infection produces a very dark and aromatic resin called oleoresin. This dark resin is highly prized and is where the agarwood kernel oil is obtained. In the wild, this resin takes years to process, and like a fine wine, the older it gets, the more valuable it becomes. Due to the enormous cost and extreme rarity in the wild, Agarwood trees are now cultivated and the original resin is created by artificial infection and the oil is extracted by water distillation. There are many grades of agarwood oil. The quality of each grade also depends on the grade of wood used and the length of the distillation period. 

Typically, the longer the distillation period, the higher the grade. Prices can reach hundreds for 5ml of oil, with oud oil usually sold by weight. The rarity and mystical aura of Oud oil in religions and beliefs around the world make Oud oil extremely expensive. Its aroma is constantly sought after. Oud oil is also believed to be the strongest natural aphrodisiac. Most Agarwood oil is purchased and consumed in Saudi Arabia and Japan. No other analog or imitation material comes close to the aroma of the original. The fungal infection that helps create the resin produces an extract that is truly unique. Counterfeiting can and does occur. At the raw material level – uninfected trees or low grade wood. Often it is even possible to use different but similar tree species. 

Even in infected trees, the method of infection (natural or artificial) can have an effect on the wood compounds. At the distillation level – distillers may introduce hydrosols into the kernel oil or lie about the length of the distillation period. At the distribution level – oils are substituted with other oils or synthetic chemicals to try to mimic the aroma.

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