Hainan Agarwood Standardization Committee Maps Out Its 15th Five-Year Plan: Grading Standards to Cover Over 90% of Core Industry Chain by 2030

Four priority tasks set at the meeting

Held at the Hainan Academy of Forestry, the meeting reviewed the committee's work on standard drafting and revision, grassroots outreach and technical training, and approved its 15th Five-Year Plan development roadmap under the principles of "problem-oriented, urgent-first, practical and workable". It also set out a project list of industry, local and group standards for the next five years. Participants stressed that standardization is the core technical lever for solving Hainan agarwood's chronic problem: good trees that fail to yield good resin, and good resin that fails to fetch a fair price.

A closed loop from germplasm to trade

Next-stage work focuses on four tasks: regulating market order by advancing classification and grading standards for agarwood products with quantified technical indicators, enabling standards-based trading and grade-based pricing; building standardized demonstration plantations in main producing areas; drafting professional skill certification norms; and deepening engagement with international standards bodies to raise the global standing of "Hainan agarwood". The stated goal is standard coverage of more than 90% across core segments of the whole industry chain by 2030.

What it means for traders and buyers

As grading standards take hold, agarwood trading should gradually shift from negotiating by eyeballing a lot toward pricing by grade, squeezing out mislabeling of origin and quality. For ordinary buyers, the practical takeaway is to look for verifiable grading evidence and third-party test reports rather than stories and packaging. This article is an industry observation and educational summary, not trading or investment advice. Purchase agarwood only through legal channels with traceable, testable sources.