Agar (<i>Aquilaria malaccensis</i> Lam.): a promising crop in the homegardens of Upper Assam, northeastern India

Agar (<i>Aquilaria malaccensis</i> Lam.): a promising crop in the homegardens of Upper Assam, northeastern India

Authors

  • Purabi Saikia Department of Forestry, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology, Nirjuli 791109, Arunachal Pradesh, India
  • M.L. Khan Department of Forestry, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology, Nirjuli 791109, Arunachal Pradesh, India

Keywords:

Economic returns, Agar oil, Socioeconomic status

Abstract

One hundred and thirty five randomly selected homegardens were surveyed in the Golaghat and Jorhat districts of Upper Assam to assess the economic prospects of agar (Aquilaria malaccensis Lam.) cultivation and the socioeconomic background of the growers. Almost 50% of the households had agriculture as the main vocation and all households practiced homegardening, despite variability in garden size based on socioeconomic factors. Homegarden products including agar and tea contributed to 1 to 45% (mean 14% ±1.15) of the total annual income of the family. Returns from agar to an individual family ranged from Rs 3,000 (US$ 60: from 10 trees after 10 years) to 9,00,000 (US$ 18,000: from 500 trees after 20 years) with an average of Rs 1,14,393 (US$ 2,288: from 106 trees after 13 years). Low input needs and flexibility in site requirements as well as suitability for intercropping make agar a preferred cash crop in the homegardens of Upper Assam.

Author Biographies

Purabi Saikia, Department of Forestry, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology, Nirjuli 791109, Arunachal Pradesh, India

Post Doctoral Fellow, Department of Environmental Scirnce, Tezpur University, Tezpur, Assam

M.L. Khan, Department of Forestry, North Eastern Regional Institute of Science and Technology, Nirjuli 791109, Arunachal Pradesh, India

Professor, Department of Botany, Guru Ghasidas University, Bilaspur, Chhatishgarh

Downloads

Published

16-10-2012

How to Cite

Saikia, P., & Khan, M. (2012). Agar (<i>Aquilaria malaccensis</i> Lam.): a promising crop in the homegardens of Upper Assam, northeastern India. Journal of Tropical Agriculture, 50(1), 8–14. Retrieved from https://jtropag.kau.in/index.php/ojs2/article/view/260

Issue

Vol. 50 No. 1 (2012)

Section

Regular papers

License

Copyright © 2001-11 Kerala Agricultural University. Some rights reserved. This journal and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the Kerala Agricultural University and the following terms and conditions apply to their use; Photocopying Single photocopies of single articles may be made for personal use as allowed by national copyright laws. Permission of the publisher and payment of a fee is required for all other photocopying including multiple or systematic copying, copying for advertising or promotional purposes, resale, and all forms of document delivery. Permission may be sought directly from the Editor, Journal of Tropical Agriculture, Department of Agronomy, College of Horticulture,, Kerala Agricultural University, KAU PO, Thrissur 680 656, Kerala, India. (Phone: +91-487-2438325; Fax +91-487-2371040; E-mail: editor.jta@kau.in. Derivative works Subscribers may reproduce tables of contents or prepare lists of articles including abstracts for internal circulation within their institution. Permission of the Publisher is required for resale or distribution outside the institution. Permission of the Publisher is required for all other derivative works, including compilations and translations. Notice No responsibility is assumed by the Publisher for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of products, liability, negligence, or otherwise, or from any use of any methods, products, instructions or ideas contained in the material herein.