ID :
18423
Mon, 09/08/2008 - 11:08
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/18423
The shortlink copeid
SLDB TO EMBARK ON AGARWOOD COMMERCIAL PLANTING
KOTA KINABALU (Malaysia), Sept 8 (Bernama) -- The East Malaysia state of Sabah Land Development Board (SLDB) will embark on 'gaharu' or agarwood commercial planting, which could provide a viable option for its poverty eradication programme.
SLDB general manager Jhuvarri Majid said the hilly terrain in the
interior of Sabah had been identified for commercial planting of the scented wood.
"A 400ha (1,000 acres) piece of land has been earmarked for an agarwood
plantation and work on the first phase covering 40ha (100 acres) is expected to
begin soon.
"From what we have gathered and the knowledge available to us, agarwood is
native to Sabah and can be found in the wild in Keningau and Pensiangan," he
said in a statement issued here today.
He said SLDB, which started a 20ha trial plot in Lahad Datu, would be
working closely with a local company, Sudahgaharu Sdn Bhd, to come out with
a working model to establish the wood's commercial viability.
Jhuvarri said in addition to the commercial project, agarwood planting
could be integrated with a reforestation programme to maintain and enrich the
greenery in the state.
He said a Kelantan-based Thai company, Sahabat Pertanian AT Thai (M) Sdn
Bhd, was keen to initiate a joint venture for large-scale agarwood planting in
Sabah.
"The Thais have developed an agarwood species known as Aquilaria
Subintegra,
which is the best variety and we will get the seedlings from them," he
added.
An acre of land can be planted with up to 1,100 agarwood trees and they
take seven years to mature, after which the trunks are inoculated with a special
formula to induce resin production that can be harvested between nine and 12
months.
Prices can reach more than US$30,000 for a kilogramme of top quality oil
and resinous wood.
The current supply of agarwood can only meet about 20 percent of global
demand, particularly from the Middle East, which is the major buyer, according
to the statement.
-- BERNAMA
SLDB general manager Jhuvarri Majid said the hilly terrain in the
interior of Sabah had been identified for commercial planting of the scented wood.
"A 400ha (1,000 acres) piece of land has been earmarked for an agarwood
plantation and work on the first phase covering 40ha (100 acres) is expected to
begin soon.
"From what we have gathered and the knowledge available to us, agarwood is
native to Sabah and can be found in the wild in Keningau and Pensiangan," he
said in a statement issued here today.
He said SLDB, which started a 20ha trial plot in Lahad Datu, would be
working closely with a local company, Sudahgaharu Sdn Bhd, to come out with
a working model to establish the wood's commercial viability.
Jhuvarri said in addition to the commercial project, agarwood planting
could be integrated with a reforestation programme to maintain and enrich the
greenery in the state.
He said a Kelantan-based Thai company, Sahabat Pertanian AT Thai (M) Sdn
Bhd, was keen to initiate a joint venture for large-scale agarwood planting in
Sabah.
"The Thais have developed an agarwood species known as Aquilaria
Subintegra,
which is the best variety and we will get the seedlings from them," he
added.
An acre of land can be planted with up to 1,100 agarwood trees and they
take seven years to mature, after which the trunks are inoculated with a special
formula to induce resin production that can be harvested between nine and 12
months.
Prices can reach more than US$30,000 for a kilogramme of top quality oil
and resinous wood.
The current supply of agarwood can only meet about 20 percent of global
demand, particularly from the Middle East, which is the major buyer, according
to the statement.
-- BERNAMA
