Rome: In the processing workshop of Hainan Changshu Seedling Development Co., Ltd. in Chengmai County, south China’s Hainan Province: visitors were attracted by a distinct and fragrant aroma. Agarwood materials of varying sizes and specifications were neatly arranged: whole pieces are used for carving ornaments, fragments are made into incense sticks, powder is processed into essential oils, and even sawdust is turned into high-end organic fertilizer.
According to Namibia Press Agency, Chengmai County is renowned as the “home of Chinese agarwood.” Wang Dashi, the workshop manager, explained that the company began its involvement in rural revitalization in 2020 and has since developed a comprehensive business model that encompasses seedling cultivation, planting, processing, and sales. The company produces 500,000 agarwood seedlings annually, directly creating 60 jobs. Additionally, it provides free grafting, incense-making, and processing technology to neighboring farmers.
In Jiale Township of Chengmai, local villager Cai Qinxin’s agarwood workshop processes raw wood into neatly shaped pieces of agarwood. Cai noted that artificial scent-making allows the aroma blocks to yield fragrant resin in five years, compared to the decades required for wild agarwood. This scalability has expanded Chengmai’s agarwood plantation area to 30,000 mu (2,000 hectares), with 18 cooperatives and 42 processing bases, generating an annual output value of over 100 million yuan (13.96 million U.S. dollars). The county plans to add 5,000 mu of agarwood plantations this year and is promoting tourism and experiential consumption industries centered around agarwood.
In the cultural exhibition hall of Fushan Coffee Cultural Town, agarwood-based cultural and creative products inspired by Su Dongpo, a renowned ancient Chinese poet, captivated visitors. These products were entries in a local agarwood design competition held in early June. Tang Dianfeng, director of Chengmai County’s tourism, culture, radio, television, and sports bureau, emphasized that the county aims to encourage mass production of outstanding cultural products, shifting the focus from merely selling raw materials to enhancing cultural value.
Zhang Taiji, director of Chengmai County’s forestry bureau, highlighted that each agarwood tree has a unique electronic ID recording the entire process from planting to fragrance collection. Future plans include integrating blockchain technology for traceability. Based on these planting bases, the county is establishing demonstration industrial parks combining creativity, design, auctions, transactions, and industrialization.
Moreover, efforts are underway to integrate the agarwood industry with health, rural revitalization, and other sectors. Leveraging Hainan Free Trade Port policies, new models such as export tax rebates and cross-border e-commerce are being explored to solidify agarwood as a “wealth tree.”
In the northern part of Chengmai, the planting base of Hainan Qinanyuan Agricultural Technology Development Co., Ltd. spans 700 mu, where over 10 varieties of agarwood trees thrive in volcanic soil. Chen Yu, the base manager, expressed confidence in the industry, noting that the climate and soil in Chengmai are ideal for growing agarwood trees, making consumption accessible to ordinary people.