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Status of agarbatti industry in India with special reference to Northeast

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 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2018). 5(1): 173-186

International Journal of Advanced Research in Biological Sciences

ISSN: 2348-8069
www.ijarbs.com
DOI: 10.22192/ijarbs Coden: IJARQG(USA) Volume 5, Issue 1 - 2018
Review Article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22192/ijarbs.2018.05.01.024

Status of Agarbatti Industry in India with special reference to

Northeast
P. Hazarika*, Nibedita B. Dutta, S.C. Biswas, R.C. Dutta & R.S.C. Jayaraj
Rain Forest Research Institute, Sotai, P. B.136, Jorhat-785001, Assam
*Corresponding Author

Abstract
India is one of the largest agarbatti (incense sticks) producing country, which could capture both domestic and foreign market.
Among the agarbatti producing states Karnataka leads first place in the entire country. The percentile domestic sale of
incense/agarbatti in South-India estimated as 35 percent, West-India accounted for 30 percent, North-India for 18 percent & East-
India for 17 percent respectively. Significantly, about two-thirds of domestic consumption of agarbatti takes place in rural areas
(61.23%). The demand for agarbatti is increasing day by day for both in domestic and export markets due to the availability of
improved quality and varieties of incense sticks. As per estimation of All India Agarbathi Manufacturers Association (AIAMA),
the total exports has increased by 266 percent from Rs.1.5 billion in 1989-90 to Rs.5 billion in the domestic market and exported
agarbatti amounting Rs 2 billion in the year 2000. The market is flourishing and sale in the domestic market is also increased to
Rs 3600 crores and likewise export to other countries also attains of the worth of Rs 600 crores in the year 2013 with a
compounded annual growth rate of 15% (AIAMA). The industry is still running with the influence and monopoly of agarbatti
merchant and lack of research and developmental (R&D) works regarding improvement in quality, composition and cost-
effectiveness in packaging, storage as well as health and environmental concerns. Sustainable bio-resource utilization, value
addition, skill development, improvement and capacity building in tools, machines and techniques for preparation of quality
agarbatti, employment generations are a few thrust area of R &D works. Moreover, the Buru of Indian standard (ISI) has
provided only tentative quality control standard so far. Most of the materials used in agarbatti industry are collected from plant
resources. However, India does not have the sufficient control over them for patenting resources, composition, formulas or
process of agarbatti making for why it is delicately pruned to piracy. The agarbatti industry plays a vital role in India's economy.
It is estimated to provide income to 500,000 people, of which, about 90 percent are women. Recently the industry is growing its
popularity in northeast India, wherein the raw materials like bamboo and binder materials required for making masala of the
agarbatti industry including labor are sufficiently available in this region.

Keywords: Agarbatti, Jigat, AIAMA, Buru of Indian standard and R &D works

Introduction
Agarbatti industry is traditional in India. Agarbatti
(Incense sticks) are being burnt in religious and social
functions since the beginning of Indian civilization as
early as 5,000 BCE. The Vedas, Puranas, Bhagavad
Gita, Greek Mythology, Egyptian, Christian, Buddhist,
Chinese and Islamic history and literature are
abounding with reference to the use of incense.
173
In India, a number of writings mentioned about
'perfumers' and 'incense sellers' during 2000 BC in
Vedic literature. According to Vedic text, incense was
used to the imitation of aroma and to create pleasant
smells. Agarbatti is burnt in the religious ceremonies,
spirituality, aromatherapy, meditation and simple
pleasure; in addition to getting rid of bad smells, repel
 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2018). 5(1): 173-186
insects (Hyams and Cushner, 2004; Lis-Balchin, 2006
& Harper, 2010). The incense-making procedure
practiced by medicinal priests of the previous era in
India now emerges as the modern system of incense
making process. Incense has played a vital role in
many of the world's great religions. The Babylonians
used incense extensively while offering prayers to
divining oracles. The Hindu, Buddhist, Taoist,
and Shinto religions all burn incense in festivals,
processions, and many daily rituals in which it is
thought to honor ancestors. People of several countries
like Lebanon, Arab, Jerusalem, South America, Egypt,
Sri Lanka, and other countries of East Asia including
Japan, China, Tibet, Burma, and Nepal are widely
using agarbatti.
Presently, the agarbatti industry plays an important
role in India's rural economy providing employment
opportunity to the rural poor specially woman and
children. Agarbatti of India has got wide demand both
in local and international markets. Although, we do
not have précised data, the ‘All India Agarbatti
Manufacturers Association’ estimates that it has an
annual turnover of about Rs. 2,000 crores and the rate
of growth is 20% on a year on year basis. Almost one-
fifth of the total production is exported. The whole
industry occupies in tree growers, raw materials
suppliers, manufacturers, local and international
traders, retailers and consumers.
India's Agarbatti industry is mainly in the form of
cottage industry and also labour intensive. The modern
era of Agarbatti manufacturing in India was started
first in Thanjavur of Tamil Nadu and from there it has
been gradually expanded to other parts of the
neighboring states. Agarbatti industry now reigns in
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Orissa, Tamil
Nadu, Gujarat, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Bihar,
Tripura, and Assam. Karnataka is first place among
the producer states of the country with its focal canters
such as Mysore and Bangalore cities. Nearly 1000
units are reported to exist in Karnataka. Agarbatti
industry is increasingly expanded. According to
Bordoloi & Sharma,( 2007) approx. Rs 7.1 billion
comes from the total domestic sales of which, the
contribution of South India for 35%, West 30%, North
18% and East 17%. Although, this industry has
received much attention as it contributes towards the
country's economy and employment, it has many
constraints for the Traders/Manufacturers and also
limitations to Agarbatti rollers such as deficient of raw
materials, technology, policy and lack of support
industries for perfume and packaging, labour, low
174
wage to the rollers and lack of exposure to market etc.
Here, the authors have made an attempt to give an
overview of Agarbatti industry in India since its
inception to the present state of development. A
special emphasis has been drawn to northeast India
about the potential expansion of the industry as this
part of India is the treasure house of required raw
materials and workforce for agarbatti Industry.
History of Agarbatti Industry in India
Indian Ayurvedic medical system has provided the
base of modern and the most organized way of
Agarbatti making mechanism and that is still in
practice as of today. The Rig Veda and the Atharva-
Veda are held as special sources to glean details
regarding the old history of Agarbatti. The first phase
belonging to Ayurveda deals with the use of
medicines, where incense was utilized as a medicinal
tool for healing purposes. As the then Hinduism could
realized the significance and made full use of incense
and gradually become a part of Buddhism in India.
During that time, the Indian incense reached an
advantageous position in the history of incense, and it
was the Agarbatti that met source to arrive at China,
by way of the Buddhist monks who were the first
practitioners around the time of 200 CE and also
acquired the job of incense-making in the early stages.
The modern era of agarbatti industry in India began in
the 19th Century as Tanjour of Tamilnadu emerged as
one center of Agarbatti making based on a need for
local temples & kings. Traditionally, Tiruchirapalli
and areas nearby used to make aromatic and fragrance
products that had therapeutic and cosmetic properties.
The technology of making Agarbatti was extended to
Mysore by 1920 as forest-based raw material like
Sandalwood (Santalum album), Jigat (Michilus
macrantha), Bamboo, Charcoal, Halmandi (Ailanthus
malbarica) & other Aromatic plants were available
from the local area. The kings of Mysore patronized to
bring it as semi Industrial shape by 1930. Since then
the Mysore Agarbatti achieved its magnitude
throughout India. Karnataka forest had plenty of Jigat
(Michilus macrantha) also known as Maida Lakadi,
used for the binder. and b) Halmandi (Ailanthus
malbarica) used for making Masala Agarbatti. These
two plant species along with Sandal brought Mysore
first & late Bangalore in Map of Agarbatti Industry.
This gave rise to the development of rolling skill for
Agarbatti. Continuous development of 50 years from
1930 to 1980 brought Karnataka with Bangalore &
Mysore as production base all India suppliers for
quality Agarbatti & generated employment of 25
 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2018). 5(1): 173-186
million man-days. However, constant depletion of
forest and increased in consumption of plant species
used for agarbatti making, Karnataka has to depend on
the raw material to other states such as Northeast
India. This gave rise to the birth of another centre for
production in late 90’s.
Present Status of Agarbatti Industry in India
There is no authenticated information about the exact
number of agarbatti manufacturing industries in India.
Moreover, no detailed survey has been conducted for
this industry so far and therefore, no credible statistics
are available. There are about 800 registered and 3000
unregistered agarbatti manufacturing units across in
India (Hanumappa, 1996, NCAER, 1990). Another
source projected that the country posses about 10,000
agarbatti manufacturing units in tiny, small and
medium forms. In 1989-90 the total quantity of
agarbatti produced was estimated at 147 billion sticks
and total domestic sales were of the value of Indian
Rs. 7.1 billion (approx. US $ 198 million) while
exports accounted for an additional Rs. 1.5 billion (US
$ 42 million). Exports are rising sharply in recent
years and in 1993-94 their value was recorded at Rs. 4
billion ( US $ 112 million) (Hanumappa, 1996,
NCAER, 1990). Moreover, another 200 well-
established ones having over 50 branded agarbattis.
The agarbatti industry has earned Rs 2000-crore per
annum which is predominantly coming from cottage
level on rural India ( Balasubamanyam, 2013).
Presently, a number of small manufacturers use to
produce cheap and low-quality Agarbatti which, in
turn, created marketing problems for quality
producers. The new policy for Import trade control
came into force in the year 1942 which helped the
Agarbatti industry to start importing chemicals,
perfumes etc directly instead of going to the importers.
The Karnataka Government introduced the sales tax in
the year 1948 at a levy of 3 pies or 1.6%. This created
a necessity of an industry association, which came into
being in the year 1949 as All India Agarbatti
Manufacturers Association (AIAMA). The association
was formed with the main aim of solving industry-
related issues at various levels. There was a significant
contribution to the industry by the way of perfume
blending from 1965 to 1988. Many famous brands
entered the market that time, some of which still find
the place in the market.
Karnataka and specially the Mysore is known as a
pioneer in the activity of Agarbathi manufacturing.
175
All India Agarbathi Manufacturers Association
(AIAMA), Bangalore; Karnataka Agarbathi
Manufacturers Association (KAGMA), Mysore; City
Agarbathi Manufacturer’s Co-operative Society Ltd,
Mysore; Karnataka State Agarbathi Manufacturers Co-
Operative Society Ltd. Bangalore; Bangalore based
Mysore Oodabathi Manufacturers Charitable Trust
(MOMCT); The Federation of Aroma/Agarbathi
Manufacturing Enterprise (FAME), Bangalore are
certain organization/ associations for promoting
agarbatti industry specially in Karnataka State. Nearly
1000 units reportedly exist in the State of Karnataka
including around 67are situated in Bangalore. It is
estimated that now only 30-40% of the production in
India is now attributed to Karnataka, but the same
against during 1960’s was 95%. The rest is shared
with Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Assam
and Tamil Nadu. Agarbathi making is concentrated
mostly in Bangalore, with a sprinkling of units in
Chintamani, Kolar, Chickhallapur, Belgaum. Sudden
development of IT industry in Bangalore made the
rapid rise in property price around city making
Agarbatti industry unviable. This gave rise to the
development of raw Agarbatti in many nearby villages
as well new production centers. Based on consumption
pattern, many new Agarbatti manufacturing centers
emerged in the various part of the country. They are
Nagpur, Raipur, Pune, Ahmedabad, Delhi (Islampura),
Varanasi, Gaya, and Cuttack. Moreover, due to
constant shift of Fragrance for Agarbatti from Natural
to Synthetic perfume enables the entrepreneurs to start
Agarbatti Industry in any part of India. This results in
the decline of Agarbatti Industry in Karnataka. It is
also seen that all major successful brands in last five
years produce from other places like “Hirwa Chafa”
from Pune, “Zed black” from Indore.It was observed
that more concentration towards Northeast was due to
very economic labor, availability of all kind of raw
materials necessary for this industry & the market,
which was served up to this time by Karnataka.
Presently, in addition to Karnataka other Agarbatti
manufacturing states in India are Bihar, Dadra and
Nagar Haveli, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Tripura and
Assam.
Gujarat Agarbatti Manufacturers & Dealers
Association (GAMDA) is a platform for incense
sticks (or Agarbatti as it known in India)
manufacturers, dealers and all others who deal with
Agarbatti business directly or indirectly. The GAMDA
is aspiring continuously to produce quality products to
the global market and almost 200 factories related to
Agarbattis are being run in Ahmadabad. Interestingly,
 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2018). 5(1): 173-186
half of these industries are directly manufacturing
agarbatti either manually or using machines and some
of the industries are doing value-added work such as
scenting, packaging and labeling after buying rolled
agarbatti from the agarbatti makers (Mahadevia et al,
2014). Gujarat state possesses more than 560
registered manufacture and suppliers of Agarbatti and
most of them confine in Ahmadabad. Even though
there are a few agarbatti factories in the city, most
agarbatti rolling work is done at home on the piece-
rate basis in Ahmadabad. There are 31,689 women
agarbatti rollers in Ahmadabad City and mainly
belong to Scheduled Castes or other Backwards Castes
about 74 percent (Mahadevia et al, 2014). Particularly,
in the areas of Bapunagar, Odhav, Rakhiyal,
Amraiwadi, Meghaninagar and Naroda, agarbatti
rolling has now become the main occupation of
women in almost every house (SEWA. 2000).
Aurobindo Ashram and Gayatrin Ashram of Orissa are
involved in manufacturing fragrant Agarbattis such
as Parimal Agarbatti, Berhampur, Suravi, Susree,
Indica. The raw materials are used to bring from
Cuttack, Bhubaneswar and Calcutta. ORMAS, a
government of Odisha agency working for livelihood
development, has entered into a tie-up with the
agarbatti division of ITC Limited.
The state Maharashtra is now having the center like
Pune, wherein more than 76 agarbatti manufactures
continue their production. Gadchiroli Agarbatti Project
(GAP) of the forest divisions of Gadchiroli district,
Maharashtra has 21 centers (483 machines) fully
operational across the entire district. With a target of
44 centers in sight, work is in progress towards
achieving it by early 2014. Currently employing
approx 500 individuals of them near about 95 percent
are women. Currently the 220 tons of raw agarbatti
produced were sold to traders and manufacturers based
out of Nagpur. The Wadsa Forest Division of the
Gadchiroli district with its 5 units i.e. Porla, Sonsari,
Gothangaon, Wadegaon and Kurkheda Agarbatti
centers (130 machines) was estimated production of
123.5 tons in the year 2014.
In early February 2006, it was agreed that INBAR
documented the bamboo-based agarbatti production
system in Mancherial, Kaghaznagar and Bellampally
Mandals in Adilabad District in Andhra Pradesh
(INBAR- CIBART, 2006). Marketing of these sticks is
being done locally as well as to ITC, Chennai. The
present production capacity is 10 tonnes per month,
176
which would be upgraded to 100 tonnes per month by
mid-2006. This activity is fetching revenue of Rs
18,000 per tonne as against Rs 1,500 per tonne being
realized from pulp and paper mills. According to
INBAR- CIBART (2006) in February 2006, more than
30 tonnes of these agarbatti sticks have been supplied
to ITC, Chennai and local industries. Presently, about
150 units exist in Andhra Pradesh.
Around 49 agarbatti manufacturers in Nagpur,
Maharashtra and also 31 registered manufacturers of
Agarbatti in Raipur, Chhattisgarh. There are about 42
registered agarbatti manufacturers in Bihar excluding
the unorganized and rural sector. An estimated 50,000
women are said to be involved in Agarbatti rolling
activity in the Gaya district, Bihar. It may be possible
that in near future place like Gaya of Bihar & few
districts of Assam will be the future place of
production of agarbatti surpassing Karnataka.
Agarbatti manufacturing industry was first started at
Fultala of Baruipur dist- 24 pgs(south) ,West Bengal
after the independence. Gradually a number of small
and large scale agarbatti units developed in Piyali
Town, Fultala, spread to Canning Block 1 & 2 and
other parts of Baruipur , which enabled thousands of
people to earn their bread and butter. At present, this
industry plays a vital role in the economical
development of this area and has become the
livelihood of the people of Fultala as well as a greater
part of Baruipur and Canning. In addition, it also
provides a great economic support to the people
involved in the distribution of these products. Baruipur
Agarbatti Manufacturers’ Welfare Association
(BAMWA) West Bengal has now 112nos of
manufacturing units with 56000 nos. of employees
and annual turnover is 40 - 45 crores INR (Barua,
2011).
Agarbatti Production in India
India has a leadership position in agarbatti production
and fulfils more than half of the world's incense sticks
requirements. The Indian agarbatti sector, the world’s
largest, produces close to 208 billion sticks a year
(Rao et al, 2009). The industry use Bamboos of
35,000 mts/annum for preparation of agarbatti sticks.
India produces. Approximately, Agarbathi of 60,000
mts/annum at a growing rate of 10% annually are
being produced in India (Doddamani, 2001).
Calculation shows that a total of 2 million men/women
days are required for production at this scale. Thus it
can be seen that the employment potential is huge and
 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2018). 5(1): 173-186
more importantly growing. 80% of women workers in
the industry belong to weaker sections of the society.
Thus the Governments at national and state levels can
make use of this industry to support its poverty
Programs. The Agarbathi market is mainly consumer
driven. India's population growth has provided an
estimated market size of Rs 1250-1500 crores
(Doddamani, 2001). People took agarbatti burning as
better and convenient way of offering prayers. The
buying capacities of people caught the attention of
producers and low-quality agarbatti have invaded the
markets to suit the different sections of society. People
came to know that in order to start this cottage
industry, there were no formalities to be observed and
the investment can range is mere Rs.1000 to 1lacs.
Besides, the absence of technology complications and
easy availability of perfumes in the market have led to
an uncontrolled growth of industry. The art of
perfuming is a trade secret for manufacturing firms
and hence it is very difficult for industry to coordinate
as a whole in this area. Certainly big houses can be
encouraged to perform by utilizing the production at
the lower end of the industry. Out of the 5000
estimated units across the country, a majority of them
are house-hold or small family businesses, which
contribute approximately 80-90% of the production.
Agarbattis manufactured in India, especially Mysore
has world-wide recognition and edge over the
competing nations around the globe (Doddamani,
2001). Most popular Indian Agarbattis are
manufactured in Mysore, Bangluru, Tamilnadu and
Bihar.
Raw Materials for Agarbatti
The agarbatti industry depends heavily on forest
products for raw materials. Agarbatti manufacturing
involves no typical or sophisticated chemicals and the
raw materials.Charcoal powder, sticky powder such as
Jigat, Sal resin, Guggul (gum / resin of Commiphora
mukul), nargis powder, raw bamboo sticks, water,
various variety of oils, aromatic essence, flower
essence, sandalwood oil, rose petals, natural and
chemical aromatic ingredients, saw dust, thick paper,
gelatin paper, scissor, waste paper, various colour
powder etc are components that will be needed for
manufacturing agarbatti. Decent card board box will
be needed for packing.
Production of agarbatti involves following steps: (1)
bamboo sticks production for the central core of the
Agarbatti, (2) production and preparation of Jigat
177
powder (3) production of sawdust and charcoal
powder, (4) preparation of incense paste (Masala) and
its application onto the bamboo stick to produce the
agarbatti, (5) scenting, or application of perfume, to
produce a good quality Agarbatti, and (6) packaging.
The supply of the binding material for agarbatti
masala has concerned agarbatti manufacturers mostly
as the criteria for selecting this binding material
(Jigat), the glutinous bark of Persea macrantha are
rarely met for any other single item (Rath, 2003). Jigat
is a vernacular word meaning “sticky” that is used in
the Karnataka state of India. Presently, 50 per cent of
the demand for Jigat is met through importing the
substance from Malyasia and Thailand. According to
All India Agarbathi Manufacturers Association
(AIAMA) estimate, the current demand for Jigat is
about 10000 tonnes per annum. Overexploitation of
this bark (called jigat in powder form) caused the rapid
depletion of this resource and thus, other alternatives
were sought. The bark of Litsea glutinosa emerged as
the most preferred substitutes. The bark may take 5 to
6 days for sun-drying in summer, which reduces its
weight by 50 to 60%. The time taken for drying
depends on the thickness of the bark, weather
conditions, and amount of exposure to the sun.
Usually, the primary collectors bring the bark to the
agents of the wholesaler either without drying or in
semi-dried condition. Probably the best drying
procedure adopted by the primary collectors is in the
Shimilipal Bio-sphere Reserve of Orissa (India) where
they reportedly spread the large strips of bark on large
granitic outcrops and while the upper surface of the
strips is exposed to direct sunlight, the lower surface is
dried up by the heat produced from the hot, rocky
surface. This facilitates proper drying in a shorter
period of time.
In Orissa, the average production of this bark between
1992–93 and 1997–98 was approximately 6908
quintals (as per official reports) when the government
allowed leases of the same to the private parties.
However, the production figures, which are primarily
furnished by the lessee, are often underreported so as
to evade royalty and hence, the actual production is
supposed to be 30 to 50% higher. Official data further
show that there was a declining trend in the output of
jigat bark in Orissa during the periods 1995-96 to
1997-98 with the average production of first four years
being reduced from 9337 quintals to 2050 quintals in
the next two years. However, reliable sources8
confirm that even after the ban was imposed, the
annual production was still around 5000 quintals
through illegal means.
 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2018). 5(1): 173-186
Another important raw material required for the
industry is bamboo sticks. The core of the incense
stick is made of split, sliced and sized bamboo, and is
of two types - a square section and a round section,
each approximately 1.5mm-2mm and 3mm thick, and
in lengths of either 8” (203.2mm) or 9” (228.6mm).
The industry uses about 208 billion bamboo sticks a
year (Rao et al, 2009). Rao et al., 2009 notes that the
cost of the Bamboo stick is only about 1% of that of
the finished agarbatti The agarbatti stick making using
bamboo poles in India has been identified as one of
the potential livelihood options available for the rural
poor. Such sticks are mainly come from Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, Tripura, Assam, Orissa and
Arunachal Pradesh. The bamboo species are mainly
used for preparation of agarbatti sticks (both squire
and round types) such as Dendrocalamus strictus, D.
hamiltonii, Bambusa nutans, B. tulda, B. balcooa and
Bambusa bambos. In Andhra Pradesh bamboo-based
agarbatti stick production is done locally by 34 VSSs
of Adilabad and Vizianagaram districts as well as to
ITC, Chennai. As of February 2006, more than 30
tonnes of these bamboo based agarbatti sticks have
been supplied to ITC, Chennai and local industries by
Andhra Pradesh (INBAR- CIBART, 2006). Tripura
used to supply about 90% of the bamboo sticks.
Around 3456 quintals of bamboo sticks are produced
Tripura Bamboo Mission in a year.
About 75% of the agarbatti manufactured are of cheap
quality containing only charcoal powder or low quality
sandal wood powder with a mixture of 50% of “wood
gun” powder. Cheap perfumes are used to give them a
top note. In superior varieties, essential oils, purified
resins, natural fixatives like amber, musk and civet are
used along with synthetic aromatics. Absolutes are use
in the costlier types.
Alternative Jigat to Agarbatti industry
Jigat is a critical ingredient for the making of
Agarbatti. It is being extracted by peeling of barks of
tree species like Litsea chinensis ( Syn. Litsea
glutinosa), Machilus macarantha trees in tropical wet
evergreen forests of Coorg and Maland district in
Karnataka state was reported to have caused deat1l of
a large number of trees (Prasad and Bhatnagar, 1991;
Parmeshwarappa, 1992). The two other most exploited
tree species in these forests were Boswellia serrata
and Ailanthus malabarica. According to Prasad and
Bhatnagar, (1991) premature harvesting for making
Agarbatti resulted into large scale death of these tree
178
species as well as degradation of bamboo stock in dry
deciduous forests of central India.
Under a CSIR-National Innovation Council (NInC)
joint initiative for cluster development, CSIR-CIMAP
has made an attempt to find out the alternative for
Jiget (bark of Litsea glutinosa) under a project in
Tripura Bamboo Cluster, Agartala as dwindling supply
of this essential ingredient used as ‘binder’ or
‘adhesive’ is posing a grave threat to the survival of
about `3000 crores strong agarbatti (incense sticks)
industry in India.
The agarbatti industry has been seeking an alternative
to Jigat powder, which is a binding agent with
excellent burning properties, but is in scarce supply.
Some potential combinations developed and tried by
CSIR-CIMAP indicate the possibility of reduction of
use of Jigat and improving the quality of Agarbattis.
Trial-cum-demonstration of one such combination of
CSIR-CIMAP was organized during the year at
Agartala in which 25 women engaged in making of
charcoal powder based Agarbattis participated. The
results of the demonstration indicated that there was a
reduction of consumption of Jigat by about 9% in
CSIR– CIMAP combination containing flower powder
and Jigat made in the ratio of 5:1 as compared to the
traditionally used Agartala combination of charcoal
powder and Jigat made in the ratio of 3:1. Also,
number of Agarbattis made and burning time of the
Agarbattis made from CSIR-CIMAP combination was
found to be about 25-30% higher as compared to
charcoal powder based Agarbattis. Being completely
devoid of charcoal powder, the CSIR-CIMAP flower
based combination was found to be ‘skin friendly’ by
the women and also keeps their hands and work place
clean. Institute of Wood Science & Technology
(IWST) has developed gums from 20 plants and made
trails with different gum to get closer to the properties
of Jigat. Rain Forest Research Institute (RFRI), Jorhat
has developed 3 novel compositions of Jigat powder
and identified 25 plants species from which materials
can be collected for preparation of binder materials
alternative to Jigat (unpublished). AJMAL'S R&D
Center has identified Baghnala (Litsea sebifera) as a
viable alternative and has proved successful in tests.
The estimated use of Dammar gum extracted from
bark of Canarium strictum by Agarbatti industry in
Kerala is about 50-60 tons per year. Thus, the
domestic share of Dammar use is high (nearly 60%) in
the incense industry – including agarbatti, loban/jos
sticks, etc. – and is estimated to be 18,000 million tons
annually (ITC Data).
 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2018). 5(1): 173-186
Market Potential
There is a huge demand for agarbatti in domestic as
well as in international market. India is exporting a
wide range of Agarbattis or incense sticks that have
natural, exotic fragrances. There are 10000 agarbatti
manufacturing units in the country including micro
and small, besides another 200 well-established ones
having over 50 branded agarbatti The are more than
10,000 units operating in the sector spread across rural
and semi-urban households, providing employment
opportunities to nearly 8,00,000 household-based
women workers (Ray & Biswas, 2014). Agarbathi is a
fast-moving (FMCG) product with a good shelf life.
Agarbatti is a booming market in India. As per the
market survey conducted by the National Council of
Applied Economic Research (1990), the total quantity
of incense sticks produced in the country in 1990 was
147 billion, valued at around 130645900 US$ (Ramya
et al., 2013). The incense sticks industry is highly
fragmented sector with 450 players of which some are
small players dominating the industrial landscape.
Market Share of Agarbatti or Incense sticks is
estimated to worth at Rs 3,000 Crore in India. Industry
is growing at 15% per year. Agarbattis are used by all
communities in India, Sri Lanka, Burma and by
Indians residing abroad. As on today about 90 foreign
countries are using our agarbattis. In 2003, an
estimate by the Planning Commission of India valued
the annual domestic market for incense sticks
atUS$400 million, with a yearly growth rate of 20%
annually and archived the market of INR
4122.3 Cr. ($ 687.05 million) in the year 2012-13 In
India about 61% of total consumption agarbatti is in
rural area. Similarly, approximately 2/3rd of the
production is consumed by lower income group.
Cycle Pure Agarbatties, the flagship brand of Mysore-
based NR Group is also the leader in the agarbatti
industry in the country worth Rs1,500 crore, with a
15% share in the organized market, followed by ITC
exports to 40 countries. It produces Agarbattis
handcrafted by women from remote parts of
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha are spreading
fragrance in homes in Brazil, Chile and the US. The
company received its first export order from Sri Lanka
in 1954. Soon it started exporting agarbattis to other
countries, including the US, Chile, Japan and Africa.
The company, which exported agarbattis to only 12
countries in 2001, now enjoys a presence in over 60
countries.
179
ITC is the second largest dominated by unorganized
player now establishing Perfume and Packaging centre
for Mangaldeep brand with a market share Rs 3,000-
crore which is almost 5%. ITC started marketing
agarbattis in 2005. The company has engaged 20 small
units in finishing the agarbattis, which together supply
about 700 million sticks a month. In a bid to increase
output The company is procuring the raw agarbattis
from self-help groups of six states — Karnataka,Tamil
Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Chandigarh, Delhi, Tripura,
Orissa, Bihar, Assam, and a few other states. ITC has
a buyback arrangement with 20 factories that are
doing value addition like adding the fragnance into
raw sticks. Mangaldeep has signed agreements with
state governments across the country, including those
of Orissa, Tripura and Assam, because of the agarbatti
industry’s potential to create sustainable livelihoods
for rural India.
Ambica sells some 130 crores of agarbattis a year.
FMCG companies like Hindustan Lever have tried to
enter the industry to leverage their large distribution
network through the machine-made incense sticks
route which appealed on aesthetics but did not rate
highly on fragrance. ITC has now entered the industry
as a national player, buying from vendors who make
handmade products. The incense sticks industry is
witnessing a healthy growth of 10% - 12% every year
since the last five years or so and in a way is not able
to cope with this growth. Twenty-five to thirty percent
of the industry is controlled by 20 - 25 large players
with the turnover of each player being 4,665,925–
5,599,110 US$ approximately. The largest player,
Cycle has a turnover of 11,198,220 US$ with 75% of
the industry being characterized by small players who
undertake even perfume dipping and packaging
through job workers supplying to distributors
(Anonymous, 2012a).
Domestic market
In India consumers are highly concentrated among the
rural pockets (61%) in India (INBAR-1994; Jenner
and Reza, 2008)). The demand for agarbatti is
increasing both in the domestic and export markets
because of the improvement in quality and increase in
the types of products. Of the total domestic sales of Rs
7.1 billion (approx. US$ 198 million) in 2009/10,
South India accounted for 35%, West 30%, North 18%
and East 17%. Almost two-thirds of consumption took
place in rural areas (61.23%). The poor (low-income
group) purchases about46% of the value of the
agarbatti compared with the higher income customers
 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2018). 5(1): 173-186
who buy 54%. However, categorizing purchases into
five income classes shows an inverse relationship
between income and the purchase of agarbatti.
Existence of negative income and price elasticity may
be in play. The factors influencing purchasing
decisions are: the quality, fragrance, brand name
preference and cost.
The incense stick market faces a sudden upsurge in
demand during the festive season. Demand from both
domestic and international sectors peaks up during
festivals like Dussehra and Diwali. The market for
incense sticks is very vast and the demand for these
incense sticks is high even in the far-flung rural areas.
The incense industry is driven by factors other than
commerce like tradition, superstition and religion.
The company marketing agarbattis under the
‘Mangaldeep' brand through 5 lakh retail outlets in the
country has doubled volumes from 50 million sticks
per month to 100 million sticks now. It continues to
upgrade the manufacture of agarbattis by villagers and
small scale manufacturers. The company now sources
all its requirements though tie-ups with Sankranti,
Ananth and Jyanti Domestic Products (all from
Bangalore), Cottage industry of Aurobindu Ashram
(Pondicherry), Prayer Dhoop Agarbatti (New Delhi),
Swastik Industries (Chandigarh), Jayanti Products
(Agartala) and Khadi and Village Indusrties
Commission (mainly Coimbatore). ITC thus helps the
small and medium enterprises manufacturing
agarbattis continuously by improving their quality and
productivity. It has already launched brands like
‘Spriha’ and ‘Mangaldeep’ along with a wide range of
fragrances like rose, jasmine, bouquet, sandalwood,
mahur, sambrani and nagchampa.
International market
India with its 400 exporters could exports Agarbatti to
nearly 90 countries. Export earnings have crossed Rs.
400 crore mark while the domestic market is expected
to be nearly 2000 crore. India is exporting a wide
range of attractively packaged agarbattis with have
natural, exotic fragrances extracted from jasmine,
sandalwood (chandan) and rose (Gandhi, 2012).
Although it is the world’s biggest exporter of incense,
supplying more than half of world’s total Agarbatti
consumption, there are only a few major production
units in the country. Only about twenty percent of the
entire market is occupied by the well established
brands while the rest is governed by the small scale
rural units. Biggest export market is US, UK,
180
followed by Latin America eg. Peru, Argentina & Brazil,
also countries like Egypt, UAE, Nigeria & Srilanka
India’s exports of agarbattis in 2005-06 shot up
steeply by 21.68 per cent when the same reached a
level of Rs 247.42 crore over Rs 203.33 crore in the
previous year. USA continues to be the largest market.
There was a phenomenal growth of 39.54 per cent to
this market during the period—with exports having
touched a figure of Rs 35.57 crore as against Rs 25.49
crore. The other major markets witnessing steep
growth comprised Djibouti (92.74 per cent), Sri Lanka
(57.92 per cent), Australia (53.75 per cent), Spain
(46.43 per cent), Mauritius (46.04 per cent), Chile
(38.99 per cent), Egypt (33.51 per cent), Malaysia
(33.32 per cent), UAE (28.53 per cent), South Africa
(26.78 per cent) and UK (26.58 per cent). On the other
hand, the markets showing a negative growth during
the period included Italy (48.45 per cent), Brazil
(14.55 per cent) and France (3.49 per cent) Capexcil
(formerly known as Basic Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals
and Cosmetics Export Promotion Council),
functioning under the aegis of Ministry of Commerce
and industry, government of India, over the years has
been playing an important role in promoting exports of
agarbattis from the country. Besides, ITC’s incense
sticks business launched as part of its strategic
initiative to create multiple drivers of growth in fast
moving consumer goods sector (FMCG) leverages the
core strengths of the company in marketing and
distribution, brand building, supply chain management
and paperboard and packaging to offer Indian
consumers high-quality agarbattis. Apart from the
local competitors, some MNCs too have entered the
market. Besides, in view of WTO's free-trade regime,
doors shall soon open for international competitors
like China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.
Buru of Indian Standard (BIS) on Agarbatti
Although, agarbatti industry is well established but
needs scientific orientation. Skill and secret of
performance still lies with individuals and there are
innumerable varieties of Agarbattis carrying
innumerable fragrance patterns. It is hoped with the
formulation of this standard quality products would be
made available to the Indian and overseas consumers.
Agarbattis being one of the items exported to overseas
markets, it is hoped that this standard will ensure the
export of quality goods. As the manufacture of
Agarbattis is mainly done by the cottage industry and
the process of manufacture is entirely manual, there
was a stiff resistance from Agarbattis manufacturers’
associations to the formulation of any standard for
 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2018). 5(1): 173-186
Agarbattis. According to them it would kill the
industry and create unnecessary hardships. Keeping in
view the significance of this product which is
produced largely in rural sector and has a sizeable
export market, the Committee formulated a standard
covering only physical characteristics like fragrance,
visual inspection, length, size, burning time, etc,
initially with a view to improve it substantially after
developing performance tests in due course to
distinguish an acceptable product from non-acceptable
one.
Some of the manufacturers have expressed their desire
to develop a national standard for Agarbattis and the
Committee had agreed to print this standard as a
tentative standard which would not be amenable to
certification under BIS Act. The Indian standard for
incense sticks was finalized in 1984. BIS code for
incense sticks is IS: 13582. The current growth rate of
incense stick industry is 20% on year basis
(Anonymous, 1992; Bordoloi and Sarmah, 2009).
Northeast India: potential area for Agarbatti
Industry
The Northeast India can be projected as potential area
of Agarbathi industry due to availability of raw
materials in natural habitat. Northeast India can
become an agarbatti production centre in India serving
not only domestic market but entire segment of
Fareast Buddhist country who are largest importer of
Agarbatti from India. The Northeastern States have
ample capacity to set-up Agarbattis enterprises at the
community level in rural pockets. This enterprise is
capable of creating rural employment and sustainable
livelihood opportunity among the community people
with the Peoples, Private and Public Partnership (P4)
approach (Jenner & Reza, 2008). ITC to source 100
tones of raw material per month from North-East India
and around 300 milion sticks per month now as per
memorandum of understanding with North-East
government.
In Arunachal Pradesh, there are only 4 Agarbathi
manufacturing units viz, Himalayan Incense Sticks, in
Borapani, Naharlagun of Papum Pare district, one unit
in Rupa of West Kameng district and two others in
Tawang district. All of these units fall under cottage
industry (Singh & Saha, 2013). In Tawang district of
Arunachal Pradesh, a traditional technique of
Agarbathi production has been developed by the
people of Monpa community. They collect the plant
bark of Cinnamomum spp, Aquilaria malaccensis, leaf
181
and bark of Juniperus recurva and rhizome of
Veleriana jatamanshi from the surrounding natural
forest and make the Agarbatti as per their traditional
techniques. These incense sticks are very much used in
monasteries/ Gonpa (Singh & Saha , 2013).
The North-eastern States have pioneered in the
production of raw bamboo sticks due to the abundance
of bamboos in these areas. Tripura and Assam is
contributing 80% of total requirement of raw bamboo
sticks for hand rolled Agarbatti .The assorted
Agarbatti are made in rural pockets of north eastern
states as a house hold activity. Agarbatti stick making
(Roundstick & Squarestick) is an important business
in Tinsukia district of Assam and sell the sticks
directly to traders in Bangalore, Delhi& Kolkata.
In Assam, the bamboo incense stick making activity
was initiated cluster by the Bahumukhi Pratibha Vikas
Samiti in Nalbari, They supply raw incense sticks to
buyers in Guwahati, Tejpur and Bangalore and
outsource most of their manufacturing to small home
based units in and around nearby villages. Some other
agrarbatii manufacturing units are Northeast Incense
Powder factory, Sonapur, Gargi Dhupkathi Udyog,
Dhupkathi Making Udyog at Khudra, in Makhibaha
village, Palitana and Nathkuchi as well as to villages
in Darang, Chirang and Baksa districts.
Deepjyoti Agarbattis Industry is a leading
manufacturer & supplier of agarbatti at
Guwahati, Assam. With the help of technology
guidance of the Regional Research Laboratory (RRL),
Jorhat, M/s Gurunanak Machinery suppliers Assam
(P) Ltd., Tinsukia, an Agarbatti stick making unit is
running at Tinsukia Assam. Some other
manufacturers of agarbatti in the state are Bandana
Agarbatti Industries Pvt. Ltd., Jorhat; Monalisha
Agarbatt, Jorhat; Greenland Private Ltd., Barpeta;
Bharti Company, Barpeta; Sahoo Enterprises, Barama;
Probir & Biman Co. - Margherita; Sri Ram Bamboo
Stick Factory - Margherita and Shree Krishna
Agarbatti, Dibrugarh etc.
The Tripura government informally allows collection
of jigat from the forest if it is used locally for making
masala and rolling batti as long as the masala is not
sold outside Tripura. TRIBAC (Tripura Bamboo and
Cane Development Centre) is attributed to its Village
Extension System, wherein a network of 71 young
men and women reached out to 4,600 households and
331 Self Help Groups, through projects including
Agarbatti rolling. While the traditional value chain
 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2018). 5(1): 173-186
features only the stick being manufactured in Tripura,
with the remaining 99% of the value accruing to
agencies and companies near production centres in
South India (Bangalore and Mysore), TRIBAC helped
to extend the local chain to agarbatti manufacture, as a
result of which 10% of the value would now accrue to
Tripura’s villagers. Further projects include the
extension of the Chain to perfuming and similar
processes as well, and to develop local expertise in
marketing to ensure that communities receive the
majority of the value added. This is being attempted
through the institution of 3 brands of locally
manufactured Agarbattis (Rao et al, 2009). Over 3,000
women in the region have been trained in masala
preparation (made from tree bark and charcoal
powders) and rolling it onto bamboo sticks. Currently
(2007), 839 of women derive employment through
supplying rolled batti to the Gandhigram Centre now
supplies three brands of scented agarbatti to the
Tripura state market As the State market for incense
sticks is worth US$17.5 million per year, there is great
potential to up-scale incense stick rolling activities in
Tripura.
Employment Opportunity in Agarbatti Industry
No reliable official statistics exist regarding the
number of agarbatti workers in the country. Near
about 12 lakh people are directly or indirectly
employed by the agarbatti industry (NCAER). Out of
which about 20% employed in organized sector
(factory based) and 80% are recorded to get
employment in unorganized sector (home based). The
Census of Handicrafts reported 10,934 agarbatti
workers across the country concentrated in Bengal,
Delhi, U.P, Orissa and Maharashtra. Reliance has thus
to be placed on field observations and rough estimates
by industry sources. As per these estimates there are
approximately 500,000 agarbatti workers in the
country of which 90 % are estimated to be women and
about 80% to be home based family labour. Of these
workers half or 250,000 are based in Karnataka the
bulk of them around Bangalore and Mysore; another
60,000 or so in Gujarat; 50,000 in Kerala and Tamil
Nadu and the remainder distributed across the other
states. ( Kaur, 1999). An estimated 50,000 women are
said to be involved in Agarbatti rolling activity in the
Gaya district Bihar. Most interestingly, out of total
workforce 90% are women & child labour. The
industry is estimated to provide income to 0.5 million
people, most of whom are contract or sub-contract
labours employed by small-scale processing
enterprises in India.
182
It is estimated that there are more than 5,000 small
businesses in India which carry out the final process
after the non-perfumed sticks have been rolled mainly
by self-employed women, working at home. These
businesses put in the perfume and package the final
product. 80-90% of the raw Agarbattis are made by
women at their home on a part-time basis. It is
estimated that at least 1 lakh tones of Agarbattis are
produced in India every year. This creates about 16
million days of work and provides supplementary
livelihood to about 2 lakh people. Over and above that,
an additional 10 million work days are used in making
the bamboo sticks which are in turn the basis for the
raw Agarbattis.
Although agarbatti industry falls under the Factory Act
in Karnataka, many of the manufacturing units are
poor households in slums which do not come under
the purview of any labor laws as many of the units are
unregistered units. It is estimated that there are around
250,000 workers engaged in the Bangalore – Mysore
region alone, which is the highest in the country.
In Ahmadabad city alone have about 20,000 agarbatti
rollers. About 70 % of these are home based workers.
Particularly in the areas of Bapunagar, Odhav,
Rakhial, Amraiwadi, Meghaninagar and Naroda,
Agarbatti rolling is the main occupation of almost
every house. In the Bapunagar area of Ahmedabad,
there is hardly a single house where this work is not
the main income source.
ITC has proved productive as it provides a livelihood
for 14,000 people including under-privileged women
through NGOs, small entrepreneurs and self help
groups. Agarbatti industry can create sustainable
livelihood for rural India and keeping this into
consideration, Mangaldeep has signed agreements
with various state governments of the country).
Recent developments
Agarbatti is a booming market in India and is
estimated at Rs.2000 cores in India (on the basis of
conservative estimate of 20% year on year basis
growth of the industry). As per the market survey
conducted by the National Council of Applied
Economic Research (1990), the total quantity of
agarbatti produced in the country in 1990 was, 147
billion, valued at around Rs.7 billion. Through its
participation in the business, ITC aims to enhance the
competitiveness of the small- and medium-scale
sectors through its complementary R&D-based
 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2018). 5(1): 173-186
product development and distribution. In pursuance of
its abiding social commitment, the company continues
to partner with small and medium enterprises to help
them raise their quality and process standards. Six
agarbatti manufacturing units have received ISO 9001-
2000 certification aided by the company’s process and
technical inputs. The business continues its
collaboration with various NGOs in Bihar, Karnataka,
Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu to provide vocational
opportunities to rural youth and economically
disadvantaged women in keeping with the company’s
commitment. ITC is also supporting an ‘Agarbatti
Community Participation Programme’ run by the
Vyakti Vikas Kendra, a non-profit organization funded
by the renowned spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar
and located near Bangalore. Over 100 village women
are gaining from the training that this organization
imparts in rolling Agarbattis. ITC is also beginning to
extend similar support to other NGOs in other states
like Bihar, Tripura and Andhra Pradesh, which are
also setting up agarbatti units, imparting training to
village women in rolling Agarbattis.
Prospect and limitations
Indian Agarbatti has a numbers of opportunities such
as large export market potential, scope for innovations
and R&D, prevailage in expanding domestic market
and free trade regime to provide better raw materials
for better price.
Being a non polluting industry (‘green’
labeled industry) the hand rolled Agarbattis are having
a competitive edge over machine made Agarbatti.
Art of perfuming is well accustomed. Large labour
base, therefore, has a huge potential to
generate employment, particularly women
employment & hence will help for women
empowerment through a women employment.
Reputed supporting institutions present. No electric
power requirement. The industry needs minimum
investment i.e. Low budget and high income if
properly managed. India has easy availability of
labour for this industry. Even any age group can work
for these units as it is generically not very harmful and
does not required any specialization. It has a high
demand both in India and aboard market
Some of the major weaknesses of agarbatti industry in
India are insufficient raw materials, inadequate storage
system, use of manual process, no quality inspection,
copying of products, lack of brand identity, lack of
awareness or conscious about new trends and market,
183
no display area or exhibition of product and unity
among manufacturers. Major barriers to growth of
Agarbatti Industry in India are Import duty taxes on
raw materials, State-wise wages and labour laws
variation, raw material supply issues, lack of
marketing and advertising, entry of MNCs. Apart from
these lack of Policy and Regulatory Framework,
shortage of labour, credit constraints as bank loans
not readily available for small scale industry, high
priced advertising and marketing cost, weak scale of
operation, lack of Research and Development support
and competition in stick making from neighboring
countries are some significant problems faced by
agarbatti industry. Insecure supply of glutinous bark
(producing Jigat powder, a binding agent) for agarbatti
industry has been a matter of concern since many
years (Indian Export Organizations, 2000).
Recently the industry has to face some threats
especially due to less availability of Bamboo as the
main and essential raw material used for incense stick.
Thus, insufficient supply of raw material, Lack of
interest among new comers, seeking for different
occupation, Lack of unity among themselves, Lack of
basic hygiene and health measures, Not motivated
enough for further development and no system plan
for future intervention are some cause of creation of
threat to this industry.. Moreover, global competition
arose from China, Vietnam, Taiwan, use of unethical
practices at local level and increase in unemployment,
Mechanization, import of machinery from China are
certain threats for this industry in India.
The agarbatti makers have to face more trouble during
monsoons as the agarbatti do not dry in the wet season
and they have to stop their work completely. North
East India has a long rainy season during which sticks
and rolled batti need additional drying. Households
presently dry sticks using cooking stoves. The industry
in Karnataka is now facing severe problems such as
the supply of raw material and also losing its hold on
the market share.
One whole at the present scenario, the cluster has no
design consciousness up to the mark; design
intervention is required in every sector whether it is
product, production process, market, health and
education or their aspirations. There is lack of
awareness, education, health consciousness, and
technology and work environment. Also over all work
environment, working pattern and time management is
much unorganized. Has a high income discrepancy
between the worker and the unit owner. The clusters
 Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. (2018). 5(1): 173-186
need a system and a proper business model where each
and everything are taken care by responsible people or
committee so that the organized format can work for
the betterment of the unit and workers. An ideal
cluster should be a centre of better eco-friendly
environment, quality production, user friendly
workstation and tools with sustainable practices and
processes in the place.
Conclusion
India needs to undergo more R&D works for
formulation of quality agarbatti from natural products
and upgradation skills, tools and appliances involve of
this industry. It is seen that no patent has been made so
far for any brand of agarbatti product. Moreover,
formula and composition products are under the
monopoly of manufacturers. Government initiatives
& policies require for bring out the industry from this
monopoly. Buru of Indian Standard (BIS) has to take
care of Indian standard for incense sticks adopting
efficient guidelines. As the Jigat producing plant
species are under threat in nature due to over
exploitation, there is a need to search more plant
species for substitute the need and reduce the pressure
on such Jigat producing plant species. Exploration of
indigenous knowledge involves in production of
agarbatti and community right a of such knowledge
need to be protected. Domestic and international
market potential needs to be evaluated and the
socioeconomic growth of the worker, unit owners, the
people engaged directly or indirectly for livelihood
need to be taken care of. Agarbatti manufacturers
should have aim at building processes, systems,
product and brand that are inherent to the region and
aboard. It may be possible if they acutely understand
the culture, conditions and the people (their
interactions with the modern market trends and the
consumers). This holistic view and understanding
would provide authentic guidelines for changes that
may be beneficial for this Agarbatti industry.
Acknowledgments
The authors are very much thankful to the Director
General, Indian Council of Forestry Research and
Education for timely permission and Dr. N. S. Bisht,
former Director, RFRI for his encouragement to
perform the work.
184
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DOI:10.22192/ijarbs.2018.05.01.024

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P. Hazarika, Nibedita B. Dutta, S.C. Biswas, R.C. Dutta & R.S.C. Jayaraj. (2018). Status of Agarbatti
Industry in India with special reference to Northeast. Int. J. Adv. Res. Biol. Sci. 5(1): 173-186.
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.22192/ijarbs.2018.05.01.024

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