Small-scale agar (Aquilaria agallocha Roxb.) based cottage enterprises in maulvibazar district of Bangladesh: Production, marketing and potential contribution to rural development

M S Uddin; Sharif A Mukul; M A S A Khan; M Alamgir; M Y Harun; M S Alam

doi:10.1007/s11842-008-9046-2

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Small-scale agar (Aquilaria agallocha Roxb.) based cottage enterprises in maulvibazar district of Bangladesh: Production, marketing and potential contribution to rural development

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Small-scale agar (Aquilaria agallocha Roxb.) based cottage enterprises in maulvibazar district of Bangladesh: Production, marketing and potential contribution to rural development

M S Uddin, Sharif A Mukul, M A S A Khan, M Alamgir, M Y Harun and M S Alam

Small-scale Forestry, Vol.7(2), pp.139-149

2008

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11842-008-9046-2

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Abstract

small enterprises

labour condition

attar

secondary products

marketing channel

income generation

Globally, trade in agar-based products is growing rapidly due to their recent adoption as an ingredient in the cosmetics and pharmaceuticals sector. In Bangladesh, people living in some north-eastern districts have been engaged in the production, processing and trading of such products for several decades. These practices, which they consider as the lifeblood of their existence, have been inherited from their ancestors. This paper reports a case study carried out in Maulvibazar district exploring the production and marketing, and industry problems, of agar-based enterprises and their potential contribution to socio-economic development. An exploratory survey was undertaken over 30 randomly selected agar-based factories during December 2005-April 2006, with entrepreneurs of the factories personally interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The majority of the factories of the area were found to depend on local sources of raw materials to produce agar-based products. About 514 full and part-time workers are employed in the factories. Average annual expenditure, revenue and net annual income per factory for three consecutive years 2003-2005 of the study were estimated as Tk 63,980, Tk 111,414 and Tk 47,435, respectively, being highest where attar (agar oil) of superior grade was produced for export. There appears to be a sustainable source of raw materials, availability of technical and financial assistance and opportunity for expansion of market facilities to secure the maximum benefit achievable from this highly promising industry. © 2008 Steve Harrison, John Herbohn.

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Title: Small-scale agar (Aquilaria agallocha Roxb.) based cottage enterprises in maulvibazar district of Bangladesh: Production, marketing and potential contribution to rural development
Authors: M S Uddin (Author) - Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh
Sharif A Mukul (Author) - Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh
M A S A Khan (Author) - Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh
M Alamgir (Author) - Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh
M Y Harun (Author) - Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, Bangladesh
M S Alam (Author) - Joypurhat Collectorate, Bangladesh
Publication details: Small-scale Forestry, Vol.7(2), pp.139-149
Publisher: Springer Netherlands
Date published: 2008
DOI: 10.1007/s11842-008-9046-2
ISSN: 1873-7617
Organisation Unit: Tropical Forests and People Research Centre; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; National Centre for Timber Durability and Design Life; School of Science, Technology and Engineering
Language: English
Record Identifier: 99450092502621
Output Type: Journal article

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