Asia Plantation Capital has established over 462 ha of new agarwood plantations in Thailand, with a view to increase its market share in the perfume industry across the globe
The agarwood industry has been operating in Thailand for centuries, supplying oudh oils and wood chips to buyers from China and the Middle East — although, in reality, its market share as compared to other Asian neighbours has been considered quite small, with Malaysia alone having been acknowledged by CITES as providing 50 per cent of the world’s agarwood demand.
With the additional plantation, the country is set to benefit from company’s advanced technologies and process the raw timber into high-value end products. Thailand’s current buyers include London, Paris, Shanghai, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Dubai. Asia Plantation Capital said that it is now transforming the face of the agarwood industry across Asia — sustainably harvesting over 6,000 trees per month.
Agarwood oil or oudh from the company’s plantations was reportedly the star of the recent World Perfumery Congress in Deauville, France, held recently. This oudh is regarded as the first plantation-produced oil to offer consistent quality across a wide range of key elements for use in the global fragrance industry.
Barry Rawlinson, CEO of Asia Plantation Capital, said, “One of the main barriers to oudh oils from nature being useable in international fragrances and cosmetics is being able to offer a consistent quality of oil. At the end of the day, when you are dealing with Mother Nature, this is not always easy; oils produced by local distilleries vary greatly, from day to day, due to the methods used and the standards employed.
“Over the last few years, working with our Scientific Advisory Board in Thailand, Malaysia and China, we have been able to identify the key processes which enable us to deliver a high quality and consistent standard of finished oil to the industry.”
The oils are now certified by IFRA (International Fragrance Association) and are the only oils produced in Thailand to come with full MSDS analyses and CITES certification on each production batch and have EU product approval.
Moreover, a fine fragrance, produced using oudh oils from the Asia Plantation Capital plantations and distillery, was recently shortlisted in the world’s top 10 new fragrances by ‘The International Art and Olfactory Awards’ in Los Angeles. The fragrance was produced by the partner luxury fragrance brand Fragrance Du Bois.
