BIOTROP and the Local Government of Tambrauw Regency organized a Training Course on Potential Development of Agarwood Cultivation and Agarwood Oil Distillation for Tambrauw Regency Community-West Papua at BIOTROP headquarter in Bogor, Indonesia on 9-12 March 2015.
The objectives of this training course were:
- Opening an insight into potential development of agarwood
- Introducing and discussing some of the methods associated with the cultivation of agarwood
- Transferring of technology on strategies to sustainably increase agarwood production
- Transferring of technology on agarwood oil refinery techniques
Twenty-two participants, consisting of government employees, extention workers and farmers of Tambrauw Regency, attended this training course.
This training course was carried out due to the fact that Papua's natural forest has long been known as one of the largest sources of agarwood with a unique aroma. The increase in world’s market demand, especially from Middle East and East Asia countries tend to elevate the price of agarwood. However, continuous harvest without cultivation have resulted in diminishing tree stands and led to scarcity. CITES Convention dated 2-14 October 2004 in Bangkok stated that all agarwood trees (Aquilaria sp. and Gyrinops sp.) are included in Appendix II, as rare tree species. Indonesian government invites the public to take an active role in saving natural agarwood by producing artificial agarwood. Thus, in the future, Indonesia will enter the era of agarwood cultivation or in a more popular word "non-CITES quota".
In his welcome remarks, Mr. Benny Yandeday from Forest Department of Tambrauw Regency representing Mr. Engelbertus Kocu, Head of Forest Department of Tambrauw Regency expected that all knowledge gained from this training activity will be implemented and practiced in the field. He also hoped that the participants can produce agarwood with high economical value to improve people’s life in Papua.
Topics discussed during the training course included: Gaharu cultivation, agarwood induction through bio-inoculation and agarwood oil distillation.
Field trips and practices were conducted at CV Aromindo, distillation industry and also to agarwood plantation belonging to Mr. Andris at Cibubur Junction Districts.
