Agarwood Cultivation: Eforts to Save Agarwood From Extinction
Agarwood is a black resin found in plants. Resin is a plant defense system due to fungal infections. Aquilaria, Gyronops and Phaleria are plant genera that can produce aloes. This plant is native to Southeast Asia, spread across Southeast Asia, India and parts of China. Usually, to get agarwood, people hunt for agarwood in the forest for several days. This hunting is carried out in groups consisting of 3-6 people per group.
Agarwood has long been a superior non-timber forest product that is in great demand by the market. Agarwood is usually used as room freshener, perfume, cosmetics and other products. High quality gaharu is usually priced at IDR 160,000,000-320,000,000 per kg while low quality gaharu is priced at USD 1,600,000-4,800,000 per kg for low quality gaharu. Meanwhile, processed agarwood oil is priced at around IDR 640,000,000-800,000,000 per liter.
High market demand has resulted in increasingly high levels of hunting for gaharu in the wild. Apart from that, the natural habitat of gaharu has also experienced a lot of degradation and deforestation due to the conversion of land into plantations. According to the world conservation agency, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), gaharu species are included in the red list which are experiencing population decline in the wild, including the Aquilaria malaccensis and Aquilaria crassna species which have Critically Endangered (CR) status. Apart from that, according to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the genus Aquilaria spp. and Gyrinops spp. included in Appendix II. Appendix II is a list of species that are not threatened with extinction, but if they are not protected, the potential threat of extinction could occur if trade continues.
One of the efforts that can be made to protect and reduce the threat of logging in nature is that gaharu can also be cultivated effectively. This of course must be a special concern for all of us to find ways to keep agarwood production high without threatening its availability in nature. Agarwood cultivation in Indonesia has been carried out since the beginning of 2000 in several areas including Bengkulu, Jambi, Riau, East Kalimantan and West Nusa Tenggara, however, this cultivation is not widely known by the public.
Agarwood cultivation can be done using two methods, namely monoculture and mixed or intercropping methods. Monoculture cultivation only grows one type of plant, namely aloes. Meanwhile, in mixed cultivation systems, agarwood plants are usually alternated with other types of plants. Plants that are usually used as snack crops are cocoa, pineapple, vanilla, rubber and palm oil.
In the cultivation process, special care and treatment is certainly required. Likewise, in agarwood cultivation, to produce agarwood sapwood, the agarwood tree needs to be wounded so that the agarwood sapwood forms. There are three ways to form agarwood sapwood, namely physical, chemical and biological. First, physically, the agarwood tree is injured with a machete, ax or other tool. This technique is the easiest and cheapest technique used by farmers. However, this is less effective because the agarwood sapwood formed is of low quality. Second, chemically, agarwood trees are injected with chemicals to stimulate the formation of resin. The types of chemicals injected usually come from all types of acids such as jasmonic, sulfuric and acetic, as well as alcohol. This method is effective in producing high
quality agarwood, but there are still doubts about its impact on the environment. The third method is biological, the agarwood tree is injected with biological compounds such as fungi and bacteria. The types of fungi used are Fusarium sp., Aspergillius sp., Penicillium sp., Xylaria, sp. and Chaetomium sp. This method is the most effective and environmentally friendly method. However, this method is the most expensive method.
Several studies have been conducted on the suitability of aloes as a cultivated plant. The results of the study found that in one period of 15 years of agarwood planting, a maximum of 264.41 kg/ha and a minimum of only 34.07 kg/ha of lower grade or kamedangan aloes could be produced. Meanwhile, the best quality agarwood cannot be predicted. However, agarwood production may decrease during the second planting period and beyond. Meanwhile, if the agarwood products are processed into agarwood oil, one hectare of land can produce 103.24 mL/ha. If converted into rupiah, one hectare of agarwood land can produce kamedangan with a value of Rp. 54,000,000-4,200,000,000 with an estimated price of kamedangan of Rp. 1,600,000/kg. This calculation certainly does not include the results from high quality agarwood.
Looking at the current prices, aloe cultivation is certainly tempting for farmers. However, this cultivation also has several challenges. The biggest challenge that gaharu farmers have to face is the high price of inoculation and the lack of knowledge of farmers regarding the procedures for inoculating gaharu. Another challenge that gaharu farmers have to face is the unstable price of gaharu on the market. This makes it difficult for farmers to manage their finances. Another challenge is the death of agarwood trees due to excessive inoculation. This is of course very detrimental for farmers and will have a very significant impact on the final results of this cultivation.
Despite all the threats and challenges in gaharu cultivation. Agarwood cultivation has good prospects in the future. Apart from that, gaharu cultivation is also one of the steps to save gaharu from extinction in nature.
Rodiyathul Rahmat/ Botanist Officer Gaia Indonesia
Daftar Pustaka:
Roemantyo, R., & Partomihardjo, T. (2010). Analisis prediksi sebaran alami gaharu marga Aquilaria dan Gyrinops di Indonesia. Berita Biologi, 10(2), 189-198.
Wiriadinata, H., Semiadi, G., Darnaedi, D., & Waluyo, E. B. (2010). Konsep Budidaya gaharu (Aquilaria spp.) di Provinsi Bengkulu. Jurnal Penelitian Hutan dan Konservasi Alam, 7(4), 371-380.
Abdulah, L., Susanti, R., Rahajoe, J. S., Atikah, T. D., Subarudi, S., Dewi, R., … & Turjaman, M. (2022). Feasibility of agarwood cultivation in Indonesia: Dynamic system modeling approach. Forests, 13(11), 1869.
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Samsudin, Y. B., Adzani, T., Ramadian, M. A., Naito, D., & Baral, H. (2021). The potential of agarwood as a climateresilient livelihood option in Indonesia.
