TUBA, Benguet – A lecture on agarwood farming and processing was held in Taloy Sur, Tuba, Benguet as part of the community-initiated Kini-ing Festival’s third day, which focuses on local farmers.
Jose Nabus Bilag, an agarwood farmer, led the session by explaining the different ways of cultivating agarwood, its market value, and its wide range of by-products.
Agarwood, also known as aloeswood or oud, is a resinous heartwood that is processed for cosmetics, perfumes, and deodorants. It can also be consumed as tea or incorporated into coffee for digestive benefits and is known to have anti-inflammatory traits.
Bilag mentioned that a gram of oud oil costs around 700 Macanese patacas, or approximately 5,000 pesos. As of December 2024, the Philippine Agarwood Conservation Movement posted that oud oil can be sold as high as 30,000 dollars per liter while agarwood has a price range between 500 to 100,000 dollars per kilogram depending on its type. “It is a very expensive kind of wood because of its properties,” stated Aida Pagtan, Department of Agriculture Cordillera (DA-CAR) Administration and Finance Division Chief.
Agarwood can be produced by certain types of trees, the most common being Aquilaria, which Bilag described as suitable for farming. While most agarwood plantations are found in Mindanao and Visayas, Bilag started planting Aquilaria trees in Benguet. “I was able to choose Aquilaria — Aquilaria because it can be domesticated and it would be harvested about 14 years … but you must have to inoculate it,” he stated.
Inoculation is the introduction of helpful microorganisms to enhance a plant’s quality of growth, nutrient availability and resistance to disease. “There is a certain bio-organic serum nga i-compund da. You drill and then ipainom mo ijy [Aquilaria] jy bio-organic serum,” said Bilag. The plant must be at least 12 years old before inoculation. On its 14th year, agarwood will be available for harvest.
Bilag also emphasized that legal concerns are a challenge for farmers who want to engage in agarwood production. Agarwood cultivation and trade are regulated under RA 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act, which “cannot be done by an ordinary farmer,” he said.
The lecture aimed to raise awareness among local farmers about the potentials of agarwood as a sustainable and profitable commodity, while also identifying the challenges brought by its cultivation. By Aiyra Marzan
