Guwahati: Community leaders and social influencers in Assam are encouraging local youth to take up Khair (Senegalia catechu) plantation as a new path to economic self-reliance.
With a growing international market for its products, Khair is emerging as one of the most promising agroforestry businesses in the Northeast.
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Why Khair? A Lucrative and Traditional Crop
The Khair tree, locally known as Katha, has been used in India for centuries. Its extract is a key ingredient in paan and is also used in ayurvedic medicine, leather tanning, and textile dyeing. The tree’s dense, durable hardwood is highly valued for making charcoal, furniture, and tools.
“The demand for Khair products never falls because it’s linked to traditional habits and industries,” explains Manas Bora, an agroforestry expert at Assam Agricultural University.
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One of the biggest advantages of Khair cultivation is its quick growth and high financial return. Farmers can begin harvesting in as little as 7-8 years, and a 10-year-old tree can yield at least Rs 20,000. With the raw katha market price around Rs 60–Rs 70 per kilogram, even small landowners can turn unused or sandy plots into profitable ventures by planting 250 saplings per bigha.
Pranjal Nath, a young entrepreneur from Nagaon, calls it “a green fixed deposit that grows in value each year.”
A Regional Success Story
Neighboring Arunachal Pradesh has already embraced large-scale Khair plantations, bringing hundreds of bighas under cultivation and establishing two processing factories to guarantee a buy-back system for farmers. This model has inspired farmers in Assam’s Upper Assam districts, including Sadiya and Tinsukia, to start their own Khair plantations.
“We’ve seen how Khair can change the rural economy in Arunachal, and now it’s Assam’s turn to take the lead,” says social influencer Ranjit Moran from Tinsukia.
Ideal Conditions for Cultivation
Experts say vast areas of Assam are perfect for Khair cultivation. The sandy alluvial soils along riverbanks in Upper Assam districts like Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, and Tinsukia are ideal, as are the loamy stretches of Central Assam districts like Nagaon and Morigaon.
The dry, well-drained terrain in foothill districts such as Udalguri and Sonitpur also provides suitable growing conditions. Even parts of the Barak Valley have elevated soil patches where Khair thrives.
“If Assam wants to make its wastelands productive, Khair is one of the best options,” notes Professor Dipali Saikia, a forestry researcher.
The Business of Green Entrepreneurship
To maximize profits and bypass middlemen, youth groups are forming cooperatives to establish nurseries, plant saplings, and connect directly with processing units.
Bijoy Gogoi, a community leader from Dibrugarh, emphasizes that this is more than just farming. “This is a green business model that provides income and environmental benefits,” he says, adding that Khair plantations also help with soil conservation and carbon capture.
Economists and forestry experts believe that this initiative can be linked to government schemes on agroforestry, skill development, and green entrepreneurship.
“This is a chance for our youth to combine tradition, business, and sustainability,” says Arpita Hazarika, a Guwahati-based social activist. If scaled up, this initiative could create sustainable livelihoods for thousands of families while helping restore degraded lands across the state.