Demand for Gaharu (agarwood) causes overexploitation

MIRI: Growing demand and high value of agarwood products have led to overexploitation of karas trees — an aquilaria species — in the country. In stating this yesterday, Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Bumiputera Entrepreneur Development) Naroden Majais said the precious forest resource might become extinct unless measures were taken to control the trade and promote commercial planting of karas tree species.

“The agarwood industry should focus on the growing of aquilaria species in plantations using high quality seedlings, and adopting suitable processing and distillation techniques to ensure optimum production,” he said at the closing of a seminar on aquilaria and ‘gaharu’ production held here.
He said the government on its part had proposed and taken various measures to control and conserve the species.“As part of the move, karas is now listed under the Convention of International Threatened and Endangered Species or CITES 1995.
Based on research, there are 15 karas species that produce agarwood oil or ‘gaharu’ and five of the species are found in Malaysis.

Two species with potential are found in Thailand and Cambodia. Around 200 people comprising representatives from government agencies, entrepreneurs and individuals interested in agarwood business attended the seminar. Naroden said the main objective of the seminar was to enhance scientific knowledge and understanding on the importance of sustainable production of agarwood resin in accordance with local and international standards.

He said the seminar also provided a platform for researchers to share the findings of their studies related to karas planting and production of agarwood resin. The seminar is the second of such kind held in Sarawak, and it was organised due to popular demand and encouraging response to the first one held in Kuching last April.The seminar was co-organised by Forest Research Institute of Malaysia and Sarawak Forest Department.

CAN GAHARU PLANT INTEGRATED WITH OIL PALM?

I had planted about 8 ha of Oil Palm in my Kampung with now age 24 months or 12 months after field planting. I am thinking to integrate it with Gaharu tree... may be it is possible. If I can plant about 1000 trees??