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.
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