Product and its Applications

The burning of Incense stick (Agarbatti) in religious and social functions has been practised in
India and many other countries in the world. Incense ( Latin : incendere, "to burn") is composed
of aromatic biotic materials, which release fragrant smoke when burnt. The term incense refers to
the substance itself, rather than to the odor it produces. Many religious ceremonies and spiritual
purificatory rites employ incense, a practice that persists to this day. The use of incense dates
back to biblical times. The Babylonians used incense extensively while offering prayers to
divining oracles . In India , some 2000 BC, various writings mention ' perfumers ' and 'incense
sellers'. Evidence suggests that such oils were used mainly for their aroma.

Agarbatti industry in India is a labour intensive cottage industry. Karnataka State is the leading
producer with Mysore and Bangalore cities being the focal centres. Nearly 1000 units reportedly
exist in the State of Karnataka . Moreover, it is an export-oriented industry.

The incense stick industry in India has promoted social entrepreneurship in the rural and semi
urban areas as more people are coming forward to start their enterprises. Some reputed Indian
corporate have also taken the lead in promoting this trend by training rural women in bamboo
cutting, incense rolling, raw incense sorting, perfuming and packaging of incense sticks. The
entry of corporate has helped in mechanization at each step of the manufacturing process.

Agarbattis are available in different colours and aromas. The burning time of an agarbatti varies
from 15 minutes to 3 hours depending upon the quality and size. Some of the popular fragrances
that have captured the imagination of consumers both in India and abroad include Mogra,
Dhoop, Saffron, Sandal, Kasturi, Rose, Nag Champa , Jasmine, Lavender , Champa , Lily,
Cherry, Lemon, Orange, Spices. It is also available in 3-in-1 and 5-in-1 packs giving the
consumer a choice of multiple fragrances in a single pack. These agarbattis are available in
innovative 'Fragrance-Locked' packaging.

Market Potential
India has a leadership position in agarbatti production and fulfils more than half of the world's
incense sticks requirements. India exports Agarbatti to nearly 90 countries. Export earnings have
crossed Rs. 400 crore mark while the domestic market is expected to be nearly 2000 crore. Every
year more than 1000 billion sticks are produced and the market is growing at a rate of 7% per
year. Further value addition occurs when incense paste is hand-rolled on to the sticks to make
“raw” incense sticks, which are later perfumed to obtain finished incense sticks.

The incense stick market faces a sudden upsurge in demand during the festive season. Demand
from both domestic and international sectors peaks up during festivals like Dussehra and Diwali.
The market for incense sticks is very vast and the demand for these incense sticks is high even in
the far-flung rural areas. The incense industry is driven by factors other than commerce like
tradition, superstition and religion.

Salient Features of Process / Technology

Bamboo is washed, dissected and the internal knots cleaned. These are sized up with the desired
thickness in the machine. For making bamboo sticks, the machines/ equipments required are
bamboo cross cutting machine with motor, bamboo forming machine, other helping equipment
like saw, smoother, etc. In this project, it is proposed to procure ready cut bamboo sticks.

Mechanization was brought into this industry by the early 1990's. However experience has
shown that machine made incense sticks do not match the fragrance quality produced by hand
made incense sticks. This is because hand made incense sticks is made from aromatic herbs and
essential oils of specific plants.

High quality agarbatti is made mostly by hand. In the manufacturing process, the natural gums
and resins from precious woods, such as powdered sandalwood are loaded into vats where they
are mixed with other organic raw materials. Some of the incense is dried and powdered, mixed
with a type of natural adhesive and rolled onto thin bamboo sticks to form sticks, cones and
coils.

All the ingredients in powder form are mixed well with water in a specific formulation to a semi
solid paste. This paste is applied to bamboo sticks and rolled on wooden planks uniformly with
hands. The raw sticks are dried and packed in suitable bundles. For manufacture of perfumed
agarbattis the concentrated perfume is diluted first with white oil or diethyl phthalate and raw
agarbattis are dipped in the dipping trays. The perfumed sticks are packed in butter paper bags or
polypropylene bags and finally in printed cartons.