The CITES export database is the only source of information about global trade patterns. The CITES database contains reports of agarwood species exports that record the genus and (sometimes) species by country, year, type of product, and (usually) amount of product. The products recorded include: derivatives, chips, extract, live specimens, logs, oil, powder, sawn wood, specimens, wax, carvings, timber, jewelry, timber pieces, stems, medicines, leaves, veneer, seeds, dried plants, boxes, bottles, and wood products. The amounts are reported in m3, g, or kg for most wood products; kg, ml, or litres for oil and extract; and number of specimens, g, or kg for plants and stems.
However, a large number of CITES records do not include units for the exported good. All countries have some “no-unit” entries, but most are from Malaysia and, of these, most are recorded as wild stock, indicating that the amounts recorded for wild stock exported are probably underestimates. In addition, between 2000 and 2020, more than 236 000 kg were recorded as exported product but with no known exporting country (recorded as XX or XY in the database). In some cases, only the number of “pieces” exported is recorded. There is thus a clear need for standardized methods for reporting product types and amounts in order to make the data more accurate and easier to interpret.
Despite these shortcomings, the vast majority (more than 95%) of exports in the database were recorded with amounts in m3, kg, or g, making it possible to summarize that information, understand which countries are significant exporters and importers of Agarwood, and identify trends over time. Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia are the three major exporting countries of original product, while several countries or regions import raw agarwood and refine it into more finished products and then re-export the material or keep it for local markets. The latter group includes the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Taiwan POC, and Singapore (which has Aquilaria trees but does not harvest them). The main exported products from Indonesia and Malaysia are chips, powder, sawn wood, and logs. The main re-exported products include oil, chips, powder, and wood. Oil is by far the most expensive product and most oil is produced by (largest exporters first) the United Arab Emirates, Thailand, Malaysia, and India.