Where to Buy Agarwood in India
India offers diverse agarwood purchasing options across several regions:
Assam Markets: The northeastern state of Assam represents India’s agarwood heartland. Cities like Nagaon feature specialized shops such as S.R.S Green Nursery and AL Aziz Perfumes offering raw materials and finished products.
Urban Centers: Major cities including Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata host established retailers like Nutrigrove Private Limited, Herbaveda Overseas, and Tradnary Exim Private Limited, each offering different quality grades and product types.
Online Indian Marketplaces: Platforms like IndiaMART connect buyers with numerous agarwood suppliers across India, providing comparative shopping opportunities for everything from raw chips to crafted items like Wooden Incense Holder accessories.
Indian agarwood, particularly from Assam, is prized for its distinctive spicy profile with creamy sweetness that develops into rich, woody notes. Historical prominence makes it the original international standard against which other varieties are often measured.
Where Can I Find Agarwood?
Finding authentic agarwood requires understanding its natural distribution and cultivation centers:
Natural Habitats: Wild agarwood occurs primarily in tropical forests across Southeast Asia, particularly in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, and northeastern India. However, harvesting from natural forests is strictly regulated due to conservation concerns.
Cultivation Centers: Commercial plantations operate in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, and increasingly in India’s northeastern states. These offer more sustainable sourcing options.
Specialty Retailers: Beyond producing regions, major international cities with significant Asian populations often feature specialty shops carrying authentic agarwood products.
The process of finding wild agarwood traditionally involves skilled forest workers spending weeks searching for infected trees. Modern detection methods combine traditional knowledge with systematic approaches to identify potential agarwood-bearing trees more efficiently.
Where to Buy Agarwood Seedlings in the Philippines
The Philippines has emerging opportunities for agarwood cultivation through several channels:
United Agarwood Planters, Inc. (UAPI): This pioneer company holds proper licensing for agarwood plantation development through its parent company, Iba Botanicals Inc. They provide legal seedlings and technical support to third-party planters.
Online Marketplaces: Platforms like Lazada Philippines and OLX offer agarwood seedlings with varying germination rates and prices. Verification of legitimacy remains essential when purchasing through these channels.
Agricultural Supply Networks: Some agricultural cooperatives and supply centers have begun offering agarwood seedlings as interest in commercial cultivation grows.
The Philippines government strictly regulates wild harvesting of Aquilaria malaccensis (locally known as lapnisan), making cultivation the only legal path forward. Current development projections suggest UAPI aims to achieve 500 hectares of plantation by late 2025.
Where to Buy Agarwood Seeds in Philippines
For those interested in cultivating from seeds rather than seedlings:
Online Retailers: Lazada.com.ph carries agarwood seeds promoted for better germination rates and high yields, though results vary significantly.
Agricultural Extension Services: Some government-supported agricultural programs provide access to verified seed sources alongside cultivation guidance.
Networking with Established Growers: Connecting with existing plantation owners sometimes offers opportunities to purchase seeds directly from producing trees.
When purchasing seeds, understanding proper germination techniques becomes crucial. Success requires maintaining specific humidity and temperature conditions, with specialized knowledge improving outcomes significantly.
Where to Buy Agarwood Incense in Singapore
Singapore offers several excellent options for purchasing premium agarwood incense:
Traditional Chinese Medicine Shops: Particularly in neighborhoods like Chinatown, these establishments often carry high-quality agarwood incense for both medicinal and ceremonial purposes.
Cultural Districts: Areas serving specific cultural communities, including Arab Street and Little India, feature specialty shops carrying diverse incense formulations and complementary items like decorative Ceramic Incense Holder pieces.
Luxury Department Stores: High-end retailers in Orchard Road and Marina Bay Sands stock premium international agarwood brands, often alongside sophisticated Incense Burner designs.
Singapore’s strict import regulations help minimize counterfeit products, making it a relatively reliable marketplace for authentic agarwood. The multicultural nature of Singapore ensures availability of different regional styles, from Japanese-style agarwood incense sticks to Middle Eastern bakhoor formulations.
