Indonesian agarwood trade runs under CITES Appendix II, which allows regulated export of Aquilaria and Gyrinops. Legal shipments need a CITES export permit plus a BKSDA recommendation, backed by a Non-Detriment Finding (NDF) and an annual wild quota — 24,110 kg for wild Aquilaria malaccensis in 2024.
What is CITES Appendix II, and why does it cover agarwood?
CITES — the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species — sorts protected species into three appendices. Most Aquilaria and Gyrinops species, the trees that produce agarwood or gaharu, sit in Appendix II. Appendix II does not ban trade; it regulates it. International shipments are allowed when the exporting country confirms the material was obtained legally and that trade will not harm wild populations.
For Indonesia, that means agarwood chips, powder, and oud oil can leave the country legally, but only with paperwork. Every export needs a CITES export permit plus a BKSDA recommendation. Because the requirements shift as quotas and national findings are updated, always confirm the current rules with the CITES Management Authority (Indonesia) and your import country before you commit to a shipment. This article explains how the pieces connect. It is a sourcing broker and information hub, not a permit authority.
What is a Non-Detriment Finding (NDF)?
A Non-Detriment Finding is the scientific gatekeeper behind every Appendix II export. Before agarwood can be traded, Indonesia’s designated Scientific Authority assesses whether harvesting a given volume will damage the survival of wild Aquilaria in the forest. If the assessment shows no harm, trade proceeds up to a set ceiling. If the science is uncertain, the volume is cut or paused.
The NDF is where sustainability stops being a slogan and becomes a number. It is renewed periodically and feeds directly into the annual harvest quota. If you are mapping a legal route to market, you can start with our agarwood CITES permit service to see how the finding, the quota, and the export permit line up for a specific grade and volume.
How do Indonesia’s annual wild quotas work?
Each year Indonesia converts its NDF into a harvest and export quota for wild-sourced material. For 2024, the country’s NDF set a wild Aquilaria malaccensis quota of 24,110 kg. That figure is a national ceiling — once it is allocated across licensed harvesters and exporters, wild-sourced volume for that species is effectively capped for the period.
Two things follow. First, wild material is finite and competitive: the quota is shared, not unlimited. Second, plantation material generally sits outside that wild-quota pressure, which is one reason cultivated agarwood is easier to move through the permit system.
| Element | 2024 figure / status |
|---|---|
| Wild Aquilaria malaccensis quota | 24,110 kg (national ceiling) |
| Basis | Non-Detriment Finding (NDF) |
| Species listing | CITES Appendix II |
| Plantation material | Not counted against the wild quota |
Figures are indicative and as of 2026; quotas are revised periodically, so confirm the current number with the CITES Management Authority (Indonesia).
What is the difference between source code W and P?
CITES permits carry a source code that tells customs and the importing authority where the material came from. The two that matter most for agarwood are W and P.
| Source code | Meaning | Practical implication |
|---|---|---|
| W | Wild-harvested from natural forest | Counts against the wild quota; tighter scrutiny; bound by the NDF ceiling |
| P | Plantation / artificially propagated | Generally easier to permit; supports sustainable sourcing; not bound by the wild quota in the same way |
Plantation-first sourcing is not only a compliance choice; it is a supply choice. Cultivated Aquilaria can be planned, inoculated, and documented from seedling to shipment, which shortens the paper trail and lowers the risk of a permit being refused. This site never promotes or facilitates illegal wild-harvest.
Which agencies issue Indonesian agarwood permits?
In Indonesia, agarwood is treated as a forest product under the Ministry of Forestry and the regional forestry offices. Several bodies touch a legal export:
- BKSDA — the regional conservation agency — issues the recommendation that supports a CITES application.
- The Scientific Authority produces the Non-Detriment Finding that sets the quota.
- The designated national Management Authority issues the actual CITES export permit.
- Local forestry authorities handle domestic movement paperwork, including the Surat Angkutan Kayu Olahan (SAKO) transport permit for moving processed agarwood between regions.
No single office hands you everything at once, which is why sequencing matters. A missing BKSDA recommendation or an exhausted quota can stall a shipment that is otherwise ready.
How do the quota, the finding, and the permit fit together?
Think of it as a chain where each link depends on the one before it:
- CITES Appendix II sets the rule: trade is allowed but regulated.
- The NDF decides how much wild material can be traded without harm.
- The annual quota turns that finding into a hard number — 24,110 kg for wild Aquilaria malaccensis in 2024.
- Source code W or P records whether your material draws on that wild ceiling or comes from plantation stock.
- The CITES export permit plus BKSDA recommendation authorises the specific shipment.
Break any link and the export is not legal. That is the whole logic behind CITES: paperwork that proves the trade did not come at the expense of the wild trees.
We are a sourcing broker and information hub, not a permit authority, and we never sell permit certainty or guarantee customs clearance. Always confirm the current requirements with the CITES Management Authority (Indonesia) and your import country before you ship.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the 24,110 kg quota apply to plantation agarwood too?
No. The 24,110 kg figure Indonesia set in its 2024 Non-Detriment Finding is a ceiling for wild Aquilaria malaccensis. Plantation or artificially propagated material carries source code P and is generally not counted against that wild quota, which is one reason cultivated agarwood is usually easier to permit and ship legally.
What happens to my export if the annual wild quota is already used up?
If the wild quota for the species is fully allocated, new wild-sourced (source code W) exports for that period can be refused until the quota resets. Plantation material may still move, subject to its own paperwork. This is why exporters confirm quota availability and source coding with the CITES Management Authority before committing to a wild shipment.
Who actually performs the Non-Detriment Finding in Indonesia?
Indonesia’s designated Scientific Authority prepares the Non-Detriment Finding, assessing whether a proposed harvest volume threatens wild Aquilaria populations. That finding sets the annual quota, while BKSDA issues the supporting recommendation and the national Management Authority issues the CITES export permit itself — separate roles that each have to align for a legal export.