FWD 2 HerbalEgram

HerbalEGram: Volume 6, Number 5, May 2009

Agarwood: Focus of New Malaysian Research Center
and the CITES Plant Committee Meeting

The dried heartwood of agarwood (Aquilaria malaccensis) is used in the Ayurvedic system of traditional medicine for treatment of a variety of ailments, such as aksiroga (eye disease), svasa (asthma), karna roga (disease of the ear), kustha (diseases of the skin), and visa (poison).1

Wild agarwood, listed in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), is an important Malaysian medicinal and aromatic plant export. CITES Appendix II lists species that are not necessarily currently threatened with extinction but may become so unless trade is closely controlled. Malaysia exports agarwood chips, flakes, and heartwood classified under the so-called harmonized system (HS) tariff code HS 1211.9020, and agarwood oil under HS 3301.3010. Importing countries, however, utilize different HS codes for their agarwood imports from Malaysia, which makes trade analysis complicated: 1211.9033 (China), 1211.9052 (Japan), 1211.9080 (India), 1211.9095 (Myanmar and Vietnam); Singapore uses 1211.9095 for chips, powder, or blocks of A. malaccensis and 1211.9099 for chips, powder, or blocks of A. filaria.2 Most exports of CITES-listed agarwood originate in Malaysia and Indonesia. As shown in Table 1 (below), the 2009 CITES export quota for agarwood powder and wood chips (of A. malaccensis) from Malaysia is 205,000 kg and the quota of various agarwood species from Indonesia is 628,250 kg.3 Main destinations for Malaysian agarwood have been Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Vietnam, and Taiwan.4

During the 18th Meeting of the CITES Plants Committee, held March 17–21, 2009 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, non-detriment findings (NDF) for agarwood-producing species were on the agenda.5 As agarwood is primarily utilized as a medicinal and aromatic plant, the working group recommended that there should be an assessment of the possible relevance and contribution of the document, “International Standard for Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants” (ISSC-MAP)6 on the development of an agarwood NDF methodology.

Also in March 2009, the Melaka Biotechnology Corporation (PBM) in Malaysia announced plans to set up an agarwood research center in order to carry out research on the various uses and development of agarwood.7 One study aims to determine the best technology to produce agarwood resin. There are various species of agarwood and the research may determine which will produce the highest quality and quantity of resin. For research and development purposes, PBM has planted agarwood on a 40-hectare area in Meleka State. Malaysia’s Forestry Department has also started an agarwood farm.


—Josef Brinckmann

This article has been revised from a similar article in “Medicinal Plants and Extracts, March 2009”, published by the Market News Service of the International Trade Centre. Revised and reprinted courtesy of Josef Brinckmann, editor.






References

1. Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia Committee. Agaru. The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia of India, Part I, Volume IV, First Edition. Delhi: India: Department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. 2004;4-5.

2. Brinckmann J. Market for Malaysian Natural Ingredients used in Cosmetic, Dietary Supplement and Pharmaceutical Products. Global Information Hub on Integrated Medicine. www.globinmed.com. 2007.

3. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). Export quotas for specimens of species included in the CITES Appendices for 2009. March 10, 2009. Available at: http://www.cites.org/common/quotas/2009/ExportQuotas2009.pdf.

4. Convention on International Trade of Endangered Flora and Fauna. CITES Trade Database. Cambridge, UK: UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. Available at: http://www.cites.org.

5. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). Eighteenth meeting of the Plants Committee Buenos Aires (Argentina), March 17-21, 2009. Non-detriment findings. Agarwood-Producing Species. Available at:  http://www.cites.org/eng/com/pc/18/E-PC18-14-05.pdf.

6. Medicinal Plant Specialist Group. International Standard for Sustainable Wild Collection of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (ISSC-MAP). Version 1.0. Bonn, Gland, Frankfurt, and Cambridge: Bundesamt für Naturschutz (BfN), MPSG/SSC/IUCN, WWF Germany, and TRAFFIC. 2007 (BfN-Skripten 195). Available at: http://www.floraweb.de/proxy/floraweb/MAP-pro/Standard_Version1_0.pdf.

7. Agarwood Research Centre In Melaka. Malaysian National News Agency. Berrnama.com. February 17, 2009.

8. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species Wild Flora and Fauna(CITES). Eighteenth meeting of the Plants Committee Buenos Aires (Argentina), March 17-21, 2009. Report of the Nomenclature Specialist of the Plants Committee. Available at: http://www.cites.org/eng/com/pc/18/E-PC18-18-02.pdf.



 


.