No trouble of "long way to seek agarwood"
Thanks to the method of grafting agarwood on the Aquilaria trees, the trademark of Tien Phuoc agarwood now being famous in the world over.
 |
| Mr Truong Cong Luong drilling the holes on the Aquilaria tree to create agarwood. |
New method for increase benefit
One of the largest enterprises that specializes in producing and trading agarwood products in Tien Phuoc district is Luong Hau Agarwood Enterprise. Mr. Truong Cong Luong (Binh Phuoc hamlet, Tien Ky town), the enterprise’s boss, is the pioneer in carry out this grafting method. Over 10 years of with Aquilaria trees, Luong‘s one of the first pioneers of agarwood creation from Aquilaria trees. “Long time ago, people had to plough a long way to jungles to seek agarwood. In the first years of the 21st century, the agarwood creation by artificial method just was to drive big steel nails into Aquilaria’s tree body, but it didn’t get high effectiveness…”, Luong said
| Method of agarwood artificial creation on the Aquilaria trees, according to Mr Luong: Firstly, identifying the age of the Aquilaria tree, often from 7 years old up, then drilling the holes on the tree body. Depending on their locations (at the top or the foot) to pump chemical to make woulds. The reaction of the tree will create antibodies around the wound. These antibodies were agarwood. The age of the Aquilaria tree, locations to pump chemical and chemical degree of concentration are decisive factors for agarwood creation ability. After 18-30 months, a 30cm diameter Aquilaria tree is ready for taking agarwood. |
In 2004, Mr Luong bought 105 grown up Aquilaria trees planted in local people’s gardens. Then after, be began testing the method of creating agarwood by chemical on the Aquilaria trees. Because of inexperience in mixing chemical, 95 trees were died, but 10 other left grew well. They were not only bring him invested capital enough, but gave a small benefit also. This first success encouraged him to continue investing capital to research the best technical ways to do in drilling holes, chemical degree of concentration following the age of Aquilaria trees…
In 2010, Luong got big benefit from producting agarwood by artificial method. At the present time, beside many Aquilaria trees bought to create agarwood in Luong’s garden, he had over 5,000 other ones planted on 2 ha of land. Many people went to his house to buy chemical and study the method of creating agarwood on the Aquilaria tree. Now, there are about 30 firms creating agarwood and producing agarwood from the Aquilaria tree in Tien Ky town.
Looking toward oversea market
Good things fly far away, many garden owners in over the the country, especially in Huong Khe district (Ha Tinh province), Binh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Quang Ngai province, invited Mr Luong to their house to help them to create agarwood. The method of creating agarwood by using chemical has been applied largely by many people in Tien Ky town and got good economic result…
| Tram (agarwood) is a precious and famous raw material. It is created inside Aquilaria tree and used to product medicine , species… Most of Aquilaria tree grow in the deep jungles. Ngai is a good medical tree, too. It help to maintain one’s health and prevent infecting deseases. “Ngam ngai tim tram” (holding a piece of moxa in the mouth while seeking agarwood) is an oral sentence to show the hardships and dangers which all people have to suffer on the long way to seek agarwood. Nowaday, however, many people can create agarwood at their gardens by artificial method. |
Many agarwood trading firms in Tien Phuoc district have begun expanding their business to other provinces and cities in over the country in both establishing stable raw material area and broadcasting their agarwood trade mark. They have just introduced their products to big agarwood consumption market such as Thailand, Japan, China…
Developing Tien Phuoc agarwood trade mark is also a way to enlarge its market and raw material area. Nearly 30 agarwood trading firms in Tien Ky town have co-operated and taken part in the master plan of organizing Tien Phuoc Agarwood Fine-arts Assosiation (TIPAFA). “As a member of TIPAFA, these trading firms shall be able to support, exchange experiences and introduce Tien Phuoc agarwood trade mark to domestic and oversea markets. This is also a strategy step to develope artificial agarwood creation from Aquilaria trees…”, Mr Luong said.
Mr Duong Van Thu, Head of the Economics - Infrastructure Department of Tien Phuoc Distric, hopes that Tien Phuoc agarwood trade mark and the products made from agarwood-Aquilaria trees will become the local economic strength in the future.
By Phuong Giang