Maoming Agarwood Opens Export Channels at the 140th Canton Fair as Middle East Buyers Come 'Seeking the Scent'

'Scent-First' Negotiations at the Canton Fair

According to Southern Daily, on the afternoon of October 24 the 140th Canton Fair hosted a Maoming agarwood industry international trade and economic exchange conference, featuring company roadshows, incense-culture demonstrations and one-on-one business talks. More than 80 international buyer delegations and industry representatives from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe and the Americas attended, with multiple cooperation intentions reached on site. Local companies — including Guangdong State Farms Shuguang Farm Co., Guangdong Junyuan Chenxiangshan TCM Decoction Pieces Co., and Maoming Yufeng Agarwood Creative Industry Co. — presented cooperation plans covering raw material supply, deep processing and incense-themed cultural products. Several international buyers noted Maoming's industrial scale, complete supply chain and advantages in germplasm resources and processing techniques, expressing interest in long-term cooperation, and many proposed follow-up visits to Maoming after inspecting samples.

From a RMB 11 Billion Industry to Regulated Exports

Maoming, known as the 'Home of Chinese Agarwood', is the country's largest hub for agarwood cultivation, processing and trade. Its industry spans seedling breeding, induced agar formation, processing R&D, cultural-creative development and export, with products spanning seven categories and more than 100 varieties — from daily chemicals, handicrafts and incense to tea, essential oils and medicinal slices. In 2025, the full industry chain reached an output value of RMB 11.09 billion, with over 12,000 agarwood-related business entities citywide supporting 150,000 jobs. Exports had long been the weak link: the Middle East has stable long-term demand, but Maoming lacked a regulated export channel. In 2025, companies including Yufeng, Senhai, Shuguang and Jiuzhou obtained export licences, and Dianbai exported 2.95 tonnes of agarwood to Saudi Arabia and other markets, worth RMB 1.5401 million; in the first half of 2026, Dianbai's agarwood exports reached RMB 1.0661 million. At the spring Canton Fair in May, Dianbai companies signed intention contracts worth USD 950,000, mainly with buyers from the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Export volumes remain small relative to the RMB 10-billion-scale industry, but the channel, customers and products are gradually connecting. Note that all Aquilaria species are listed in CITES Appendix II, so cross-border circulation requires a legally issued endangered-species import/export permit and customs declaration.

This article is an industry observation and popular-science compilation and does not constitute any trading or investment advice. Please purchase agarwood through legal channels and insist on traceable, testable sources.