Agarwood Cultivation in India: The Ground Reality Behind the HypeOver the last few years, agarwood (Aquilaria spp.) has been promoted across many parts of India as a “high-value plantation crop.” Farmers and small investors are often told that planting agar saplings can lead to guaranteed profits, buyback arrangements, and returns running into crores per acre.This article is not written to discourage experimentation, nor to criticise farmers. Its sole purpose is to explain the biological and ecological reality of agarwood in simple terms, so that decisions are made with clarity rather than expectation.What Agarwood Really Is (and What It Is Not)Agarwood