Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about starting an agarwood business and growing it in the Philippines.
Yes — it is perfectly legal, provided it is done through the proper channels and permits. Cultivating agarwood-producing Aquilaria species on a registered plantation is legal under the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act (Republic Act No. 9147). What the law prohibits is collecting seeds, seedlings, or wood from the wild, since native Aquilaria (lapnisan) is a protected species. Getting the application, documentation, and ongoing compliance right is exactly where our consultancy guides you, step by step.
Agarwood prices are documented to range from 25,000 Php to 6M Php per kilo1–3Sources1. Naziz, P. S., Das, R., & Sen, S. (2019). The scent of stress: Evidence from the unique fragrance of agarwood. Frontiers in Plant Science, 10, Article 840. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2019.008402. Al Jazeera. (n.d.). Scent from heaven [Video]. YouTube. youtube.com/watch?v=jv69pYSm2oo3. GMA Network. (2019, October 29). Naging milyonaryo nang dahil sa puno ng lapnisan? [Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho episode]. YouTube. youtube.com/watch?v=1E2iJelUdXI. Philippine Agarwood is the most sought after and most expensive Agarwood in the world. The retail prices for Philippine Agarwood ranges from 3-8x the price of Agarwood coming from other countries. This puts Filipinos in the best position to do this business.
We have 9 listed species of Agarwood. The Philippines has the most number of listed Agarwood species in the world. Native Aquilaria — locally known as lapnisan — historically grows in lowland tropical rainforests scattered across Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao, with areas like Palawan among the better known areas. In practice, wild trees are protected and increasingly rare under RA 9147, so legitimate, traceable supply today comes from cultivated plantations rather than the forest. Sourcing legal, properly documented planting material is one of the first things we help clients get right and connect them with reliable buyers for legal export.
We grow Agarwood in Luzon, Visayas, Mindanao and Palawan. We grow it anywhere in the country. The elevation does not matter. The weather pattern does not matter. The soil type does not matter with our technology. Agarwood is native to the Philippines and is well matched to the Philippine environment - naturally resistant to typhoon and summer.
As a rule of thumb, an Aquilaria tree needs several years to reach a trunk size mature enough for inoculation — the step that triggers the prized resin — after which the resin continues to develop. In the wild this can take decades, which is exactly the problem our technology solves: Dendrotonics is built around producing high-quality agarwood in the shortest possible time, paired with a perpetual harvesting system. The realistic timeline for your plantation depends on your site, species, and management plan, which we map out with you during consultation.
We offer two main ways to partner with us. In the first model, you plant on your own land: you own and host the trees, while Dendrotonics supplies the seedlings, logistics, our Filipino-made inoculant, and we provide ongoing monitoring and consultancy — so you stay in control of the asset with our technology and expertise behind it. In the second business model, you co-plant with us: You get your seedlings and pay for workers, we do everything else for you. We establish the trees in our managed farm. Ideal if you want to avoid the day to day headaches of business. Ask us and we can walk you through with our extensive experience managing our partner sites. Which path fits you best depends on your land, capital, and how hands-on you want to be — something we can walk you through with our extensive experience with our own nursery and partner farms.
Have a site in mind, or questions specific to your land and goals?
Book a consultationGeneral guidance only — not legal advice. Permit requirements are governed by RA 9147 and DENR regulations.