Background:

Jiggat the binding material used for agarbatti industry is mainly derived from Litsea glutinosa and Persea macrantha. In recent times there has been a serious shortage in raw material vailability for the agarbatti industry due to the unsustainable harvesting practises and absence of cultivation. Large scale cultivation of the species is expected to take the pressure off the wild resources. Integrating the cultivation into agroforestry practises will also help improve the resources as well as supplement the livelihood of farmers.

NBM having been appraised of the hurdle facing the agarbatti industry approached BTSG KFRI to prepare an action plan to surmount the problems. Accordingly a plan for developing cultivation and sustainable harvesting protocols were suggested, Before the standardization for cultivation practises it is important that the best genetic resources are tapped in each of the species so that the planting material of the future is derived from the best genetic material.

This proposal envisages the survey of the wild resources of the important species producting jiggat and collecting accessions that show promise for adaptability to a wide range of agroclimatic zones so that large scale propogation could be undertaken. Conservation of the germplasm in a live collection in KFRI is also envisaged and their molecular characterization.