Saturday, December 15, 2012

Gaharu, the newest green gold?

Agarwood is perhaps the most prized non-timber forest product traded in the international market. The establishment of forest species producing agarwood is gaining attention at national and local levels as the resources from the natural forest are depleting over the years.

Planters see this type of plantation as green ‘gold mine’ of the future, if there is a breakthrough in inoculation technology. Agarwood (also known as gaharu, aloes wood, eagle wood, oud, chen-xiang, kalambak among other common names) is a fragrant wood that has been traded for a long time for its use in religious, medicinal and aromatic preparation.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Gaharu in Penang

GEORGE TOWN: “Gaharu man” Gurdial Singh has a mission in life protecting his playground by exposing poachers who chop down the precious agarwood trees.

“People told me that it is dangerous to be a whistleblower. But I can't sit still while poachers steal the wood,” he said.

The 52-year-old veteran Hash runner has been regularly tipping The Star off about the poachers, believed to be foreigners, since February.

“I felt swift action will only be taken after the matter is highlighted in the media. I'm not doing it for publicity,” he said.

Last month, he tipped off The Star and state Forestry Department after noticing that five trees had been chopped in a jungle near Taman Lembah Permai in Tanjung Bungah.

The department detained two Cambodian men and recovered gaharu wood estimated to be worth between RM100,000 and RM200,000.

Gaharu is used for medicine and perfume and fetches a handsome prize in the Middle East.

“My wife was initially upset that I had gone to the media. I want my two children and all children to grow up knowing the importance of the trees,” he said.

Gurdial, a factory general manager, said his “playground” was the forest as he has been blazing jungle trails with the Penang Hash House Harriers for more than two decades.

He has done hundreds of runs through forests in China, Hong Kong, Britain, Australia and Indonesia.

“Penang has the best hill trails. My favourite are the hills in Batu Ferringhi,” he said.

He started noticing that a certain type of tree was being chopped all over the island since 2010.

Knowing the local forests well, Gurdial knew felling was being carried out illegally on state land.

“At the time, I didn't know that it was the prized agarwood trees but I sensed something fishy.

“It wasn't until I stumbled upon the felling near the Penang Botanic Gardens last year that I realised the value of these trees and why they were being chopped,” he said.

The department formed two teams to track down those responsible for poaching in state forest reserves.

These days, the Hash network of about 80 runners are also on high alert for agarwood poachers.

Monday, December 10, 2012

8 Months After Field Planting

AAR clone 8 months after field planting

Gaharu trees near Penang Botanicals Garden

GEORGE TOWN: “Gaharu man” Gurdial Singh has a mission in life protecting his playground by exposing poachers who chop down the precious agarwood trees.

“People told me that it is dangerous to be a whistleblower. But I can't sit still while poachers steal the wood,” he said.

The 52-year-old veteran Hash runner has been regularly tipping The Star off about the poachers, believed to be foreigners, since February.

“I felt swift action will only be taken after the matter is highlighted in the media. I'm not doing it for publicity,” he said.

Last month, he tipped off The Star and state Forestry Department after noticing that five trees had been chopped in a jungle near Taman Lembah Permai in Tanjung Bungah.

The department detained two Cambodian men and recovered gaharu wood estimated to be worth between RM100,000 and RM200,000.

Gaharu is used for medicine and perfume and fetches a handsome prize in the Middle East.

“My wife was initially upset that I had gone to the media. I want my two children and all children to grow up knowing the importance of the trees,” he said.

Gurdial, a factory general manager, said his “playground” was the forest as he has been blazing jungle trails with the Penang Hash House Harriers for more than two decades.

He has done hundreds of runs through forests in China, Hong Kong, Britain, Australia and Indonesia.

“Penang has the best hill trails. My favourite are the hills in Batu Ferringhi,” he said.

He started noticing that a certain type of tree was being chopped all over the island since 2010.

Knowing the local forests well, Gurdial knew felling was being carried out illegally on state land.

“At the time, I didn't know that it was the prized agarwood trees but I sensed something fishy.

“It wasn't until I stumbled upon the felling near the Penang Botanic Gardens last year that I realised the value of these trees and why they were being chopped,” he said.

The department formed two teams to track down those responsible for poaching in state forest reserves.

These days, the Hash network of about 80 runners are also on high alert for agarwood poachers.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Experience in Agarwood Production in Malaysia

A view of the gaharu plantation

AT a gaharu (agarwood) plantation owned by Gaharu Technologies Sdn Bhd in Gopeng, Perak, tourists come by the hundreds in chartered buses every day.

The 120 ha Gaharu Tea Valley Gopeng is the latest tourist attraction in Perak, and on hand to welcome the tourists personally most of the time is its owner David Ho Kwan Meng, who also owns Gaharu Technologies Sdn Bhd.

As he enjoys the good business brought by the visitors who pay RM10 each to tour his plantation besides buying the various gaharu products he produces and sells, Ho is grateful to two particular persons who had made it all possible - his Standard Four teacher, Pang Tau Siew and the generous Japanese man who gave him 200 special hybrid gaharu seedlings to plant.

Pang, who came from China, inspired young Ho to appreciate gaharu trees by telling him exotic stories about the agarwood and its value to the Chinese emperors.

The Japanese man gave Ho the special hybrid agarwood which became the mother trees for his plantation.

“I met the old man in 1992 while doing heavy machinery business.My supplier from Japan recommended me to him.

He was already 88 years old then.He came by taxi and brought the seedlings with him,” said Ho who also owns SSL Heavy Machinery Sdn Bhd.

Ho was overwhelmed when he saw the gaharu seedlings.

Immediately, he thought of his old Standard Four teacher, Mr Pang at SJK Jelapang in Kampung Jelapang, Ipoh and his stories about the Chinese emperors and agarwood.

“ I can still remember Mr Pang’s car plate number.I was a very quiet boy who listened when he talked.He was always telling us the history of China because he came from China,” said Ho.

Throughout the interview with New Sarawak Tribune, Ho did not name the Japanese man.But he said the man’s ancestors worked for the Chinese emperors long ago and that they lived in Akita, a prefecture in northern Japan after migrating from China.

Ho said in 1992, the Japanese man had at first approached public companies in Malaysia with his 200 trees.

However, although the CEOs of the companies liked the idea of planting gaharu trees for economic returns, their ideas were not accepted by their board members, accountants or auditors.

Public companies were keen on making fast money.They could not wait 15 years for the trees, he pointed out.

Ho said he met the Japanese man many times before the latter gave him the gaharu plants with three conditions.

“First, I can only plant the seeds after 15 years.Secondly, I cannot plant rubber, oil palms or other trees with the agarwood.

“Thirdly, the seedlings have to be planted with 100 per cent organic methods.So, I use earthworms to fertilise my trees.

“I was told if I did not follow the conditions, the raw materials that I would be sending to Japan would be rejected,” explained Ho.

He said he “controlled” the earthworms by using enzymes made from garlic and lemon grass.