Growing Agarwood in Australia By Wescorp Agarwood Pty

Growing Agarwood in Australia By Wescorp Agarwood Pty Ltd Tim Coakley

Background • Wescorp have been processing and selling sandalwood since 1994 and always seen agarwood products in the same market • By 2006 Wescorp purchased the patent for CAKit induction for Australia, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga • In 2007 we imported 4 kilogram of seed from Vietnam with CITES approval and distributed the seed to 7 different nurseries across the northern parts of Australia • The seedlings were planted out 2008 on 15 different sites across the north, under various systems. Being out of the northern verses southern hemisphere weather pattern they were smaller than traditional seedlings

• In 2008 we imported a further 20 kilograms of CITES approved seeds from Vietnam and used only one successful nursery in Northern Queensland. • In 2009 Wescorp had growers plant out 40, 000 seedlings and have been continuing to plant every year since.

Threats to Growing Aquilaria in Australia • Cylones § 4 to 5 metres of rainfall per annum § One major cyclone every 20 years § 4 to 5 cyclones per “wet” season § Yasi in 2011 had winds up to 320 kms per hour

• Phytophora fungus (dieback) § Introduced to Australia in the 1910/20’s § Thriving in the rainforests of Queensland • Agarwood Moth (Heortia vitissoides) § Always existed in Northern Queensland to live of the similar related tree called Phaleria clerodendron (Scented Daphne)

• Cost of Labour in Australia § Unskilled total wages of around US$20 per hour • No Local Knowledge § It had not been grown in Australia before

Genetic Selections • Dr Tony Page § Measuring of plots and trials from 2008 § Super tree selection Stability Form / Height

Branching Growth diameter • In 2012, 551 “super” trees were selected the from the 2010 planting • Trees tested for resin development • In 2014, 51 “plus” were selected from the “super” trees for the seed orchards and future cloning

Inducing of trees • Using the standard CAKit method recorded “super” trees were induced and resin tested • Other methods of inducement have and are being tested continually and scientifically analysed • Our patented method protects us from all methods of scaring the tree because it has not been done before in our region

Cloning of “Plus” trees • Our laboratory was completed in 2015 • We expect to produce 200, 000 clones per annum by 2018 • Cloning will; § Make our products more predictable in quality § Save on labour costs with management

Future • Wescorp only want to produce 5% of the worlds agarwood supply • Be selling into the higher end of the market • Potentially organic produced products • Products will be; § Chip § 3 different grades of oil from each clone § Pure powder for the agarbatti markets § Powdered spent charge for the agarbatti

Acknowledgements • Dr Tony Page for his continual research with James Cook University, Queensland • Dr Dhanushka (Danny) Hettiarachichi from Wescorp • Dr. Upul Subasinghe, Sri Jayawardenapura University, Sri Lanka • Dr Yandi Liu from Curtin University of Western Australia • Dr Sharmane Mattinson • Mrs Navneet Kaur from the DS Group • Dr Kanwal Deep from Ajmal • Mr Bharat Shetty • Mr Errol Wild • The dedicated team at Wescorp