Bangladesh’s Agar-Attar hub: The timeless scent of Sujanagar

The air in Sujanagar does not smell like that of a typical Bangladeshi village. It does not only carry the scent of damp earth or cooking fires. Instead, as you walk the winding rural roads of this corner in Moulvibazar, a heavy, woody and ethereal fragrance clings to your clothes. 

It is the scent of Agar-Attar — an essence so rare and ancient that it has been gifted to kings and mentioned in the sacred traditions of all the three major religions in the region.

Almost every house in Sujanagar seems to hold a factory, small or large. Men slice darkened wood into thin strips while nails are carefully pulled from trunks, and women sit in courtyards turning larger pieces into smaller chips with steady hands. Inside nearby rooms, steel cauldrons bubble in long rows, releasing vapour that slowly condenses into liquid gold. 

Among the trees lining village roads, behind kitchens and beside ponds, artisans perform the most delicate act of the entire process: they drive thick iron nails into the trunk of the Agar tree, one inch apart, until it is "mutilated" from base to branch. 

"The more wounds in the Agar tree, the better the Attar," one local said. 

The world's perfumery for over 400 years

Barlekha upazila of Moulvibazar is widely known as the birthplace of Agar-Attar. According to various sources, Agar cultivation in this area dates back to around 400 years. Written records, however, take the story even further back.

In Harsha Charita, written in Sanskrit in 652 AD, the author notes receiving Agarwood and liquid Attar collected from Barlekha as a gift from King Bhaskar Varman of Assam. Later accounts say that after defeating King Gour Govinda, Hazrat Shahjalal (R.) discovered valuable Agarwood and Attar in the royal treasury. By 1590 AD, Ain-i-Akbari, written by Abul Fazl Allami, offered detailed descriptions of Agarwood, Agar oil and the extraction of Attar.

Arab traders of the eighth and ninth centuries carried Agar alongside spices, salt, rice, and handloom fabrics. For centuries, Sylhet — particularly Barlekha — was considered a paradise of Agar-Attar. Until the 1950s, the world depended almost entirely on this region. One hundred per cent of the global Agar-Attar supply came from here, controlled by farmers and traders of Sylhet.

Before the partition of India, Sujanagar alone had around 300 Agar-Attar factories, while only three existed in Assam and Nagaland combined. At the beginning of the last century, that number rose to about 450 in Sujanagar. All were privately owned; none were established by the state.

How Agar-Attar shapes life in Sujanagar

Across Sujanagar's 30 villages, more than 80% of houses host factories. Over 35,000 men and women depend on this work. On 12 February 2024, Agar-Attar from Moulvibazar was officially recognised as a Geographical Indication product.

In the early days, traders collected Agarwood from the Patharia hills of Barlekha and adjoining hilly areas of India, bringing it down to Sujanagar for Attar production. Over time, cultivation moved closer to home. Homestead backyards became gardens; gardens became an industry.

Today, Agar is cultivated across Barlekha as well as Kamalganj, Kulaura and Juri upazilas. Within the Sujanagar union, villages such as Saldigha, Rafinagar, Hashimpur, Chintapur and Barothal are densely planted. Agar trees grow along roads, beside houses, across more than half the land in the union. Every tree — small, medium or large — holds value.

Golam Dastagir, an Agar farmer from Sujanagar, noted, "Sujanagar village has already gained worldwide recognition as the village of Agar-Attar. For generations, the people of this village have been involved in the Agar-Attar industry." 

Men and women work together in the entire process. Due to the increase in demand both at home and abroad over the last few years, many newcomers have joined the industry. New gardens and factories have also sprung up in surrounding areas, changing the lives of many.

Once the resin matures, the Agar tree is cut down and brought to factories. The nails are removed, and the wood is cut into small pieces.

Where rot becomes riches

Agar farmers in Sujanagar said that saplings are usually planted on flat or slightly elevated land. Within 15 to 20 years of planting, some trees naturally start producing raw material for Attar. However, trees that are 50, 80, or even 100 years old yield Attar of grade-1 or grade-2 quality.

Most trees in the world lose value when they rot, but the Agar is an exception. Without rot, the tree has no market value. To induce resin formation, hundreds of iron nails are hammered into the tree, deliberately wounding it. The more nails a tree receives, the more resin it produces — and the higher the eventual Attar yield. After the nails are driven in, resin collects around them over a period of three to five years.

Once the resin has matured, the tree is cut down and brought to factories. The nails are removed, and the wood is cut into small pieces. These pieces are soaked in water, often in houses or large drums, for one to one-and-a-half months. 

After soaking, the wood is placed in steel cauldrons or large pots and heated with gas. The resulting vapour condenses drop by drop into containers, producing raw Attar. This is then bottled in small glass jars or bottles.

Attar produced through this nail-hammering method usually fetches a lower price compared with naturally produced Attar, which develops without human intervention.

Besides the traditional method of driving nails into Agar trees, there is another technique for producing Attar: the CA (Chemical Application) method. In this process, holes are made in the Agar tree, and special capsules are inserted into them. The holes are then sealed.

The part of the tree that naturally produces raw material for Attar is called "gyne". Once the gyne matures, the tree is cut down and the gyne is separated. It is first chopped into smaller pieces called "chips". 

From 40 kilograms of gyne, about six to seven tolas of Attar can be produced. The production cost of one tola ranges from Tk1,500 to Tk2,000, which is sold locally for Tk5,000 to Tk8,000. On the international market, depending on quality, the price can reach $20,000 to $30,000 per kilogram.

The remaining gyne is exported to the Middle East, where burning Agarwood as incense is customary. Each kilogram of gyne can sell for Tk150,000 to Tk400,000.

For trees wounded by nails, the same principle is applied artificially: the tree is cut, nails removed, and the damaged sections soaked in water for several months. The soaked wood is then heated in large steel cauldrons for up to 15 days. The resulting vapour is piped into containers, where it condenses into Attar.

After months of soaking, the boiled wood pieces are removed from the cauldrons and exported as husk to countries in the Middle East and beyond. On average, each Attar producer in Sujanagar can produce about 200 tolas (one tola= 11.62 grams) of Attar per year, with a market value running into crores of Taka. Collectively, Attar producers in Sujanagar generate an annual revenue of approximately Tk500 crore to Tk700 crore.

From Sujanagar to the Gulf

Sujanagar union alone has around 250 small and medium factories, with another 50 across the Moulvibazar district. Officially, 176 are registered, while many smaller ones operate unregistered. Almost all run year-round.

Mohammed Abdul Kabir, owner of Bay of Bengal Perfumery, says, "We have Agar gardens on 10-12 bighas of land. Eighty people work in the factory. An average of 500 tolas of Attar is produced monthly using 18 machines. We export liquid Attar and Agarwood worth $250,000 annually. Perfume manufacturers and Attar brand houses in the Middle East buy raw Attar from us."

After the nails are removed, the wood is soaked in water for several months. It is then heated in large steel cauldrons for up to 15 days. The resulting vapour is piped into containers, where it condenses into Attar.

Raw Attar from Moulvibazar is popular across the Middle East, where Agarwood is also burned as incense. Depending on quality, Agarwood sells from a few hundred to over Tk100,000 per kilogram. Attar sells locally for Tk6,000 to Tk12,000 per tola, and much higher abroad.

Currently, products are exported to Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Yemen, Malaysia, and Europe. Traders estimate that about 5,000 litres of raw Attar and up to 15,000 kilograms of Agarwood leave Moulvibazar annually. Transactions in the sector amount to Tk500-700 crore each year.

Exporters struggling to scale up

The challenges of the Agar-Attar industry, however, go beyond cultivation and production. Traders point to bureaucratic hurdles, rising energy costs and limitations in technology and infrastructure as key obstacles to growth.

Ansarul Haque, president of the Bangladesh Agar and Attar Manufacturers and Exporters Association, explained, "The CITES [Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora] certificate is one of the main obstacles to exporting Agar-Attar. To avoid the hassle of collecting this certificate, many traders are forced to send some products abroad themselves or sometimes through passengers. However, that money returns to the country as remittance.

"Proper planning and government patronage are needed for export. Energy is important in this sector. Currently, the price of gas is high. Also, as gas connections for new factories are closed, no one can start new production," he added.

Haque also highlighted the limitations imposed by small-scale operations and lack of technology. 

"Due to a lack of adequate capital, new technology cannot be used in Attar production to keep pace with globalisation. Moreover, the factories here are very small; it is not possible for everyone to complete the entire process and export. Some 10-12 businesses export products directly abroad. We demand adoption of a policy for the Agar-Attar industry and the establishment of an Agar-Attar Research Institute in Moulvibazar," he further said.

The government has shown willingness to consider these demands. 

Moulvibazar Deputy Commissioner Urmi Bin-te Salam said, "The matter of establishing an Agar-Attar Research Institute will be informed to the higher authorities. We will try to ensure their problems are solved and demands are met."