GAHARU = AGARWOOD = BLACK GOLD OF THE FOREST = WOOD OF THE GODS: MELAKA : PBM akan tubuh pusat penyelidikan gaharu

GUA MUSANG KELANTAN - KILANG GAHARU

RM420 untuk setiap 12 gram

Mazalan Mohamed dari Gua Musang menjual minyak gaharu pada harga RM420 untuk 12 gram di pasaran Dubai dan Bahrain.

TATKALA menaip perkataan 'gaharu' di laman web, bersusun alamat laman web dari Indonesia pada skrin komputer. Masing-masing mempromosikan minyak gaharu atau lebih dikenali sebagai agarwood oil di peringkat dunia.

Minyak yang menghasilkan aroma yang mewangi ini mendapat permintaan yang amat tinggi di Timur Tengah, terutamanya Arab Saudi dan Dubai, berikutan adat masyarakat di sana yang gemarkan wangi-wangian. Ia sama ada dicampur dengan minyak lain untuk menghasilkan minyak wangi atau minyak atar, atau dijual tulen.

Malaysia sebaliknya lebih cenderung untuk mengeksport hasil kayu ini dalam bentuk kepingan kayu karas atau damar gaharu berbanding minyak yang diekstrak.

Malah sehingga tahun 1997, Lembaga Perkayuan Malaysia (MTC) melaporkan bahawa negara ini pernah mengeksport gaharu dalam bentuk kepingan bernilai lebih RM50 juta dalam tempoh lima tahun.

"Saya sudah terlibat dalam perniagaan karas-gaharu ini sejak 18 tahun lalu. Tujuh tahun pertama saya mulakan dengan menjual kepingan kayu karas dan damarnya sahaja, sama ada ke pasaran Thailand ataupun tempatan.

"Tetapi setelah melihat cara kayu-kayu ini diproses serta pulangan yang cukup lumayan daripada penjualan minyaknya, saya memutuskan untuk pergi lebih jauh," ujar Mazalan Mohamed, 40, yang ditemui di kilang memproses minyak gaharunya yang terletak di Kampung Star Baru, Gua Musang, Kelantan.

Mesin pengisar yang didatangkan dari Thailand

Mazalan turut beroperasi tanpa orang tengah, selain mengubah pendekatan perniagaan dengan menjual minyak gaharu berbanding sekadar kepingan kayu karas.

Jika sebelum ini Mazalan hanya memenuhi permintaan Thailand dan tempatan, kini minyak gaharu keluaran PMW Enterprise sudah berada dalam pasaran Dubai, Arab Saudi dan Bahrain.

Menjenguk kilang-kilang pemprosesannya, bahang yang berkuap di dalam dirian sederhana itu tidak sedikit pun melunturkan semangat krew EKSTRA untuk meninjau lanjut.

Kedatangan yang disambut dengan pemandangan dua wanita berusia yang sedang mencincang kepingan kayu karas yang memenuhi ruang lantai menambah lagi keinginan untuk meneroka.

Biarpun bertubuh kurus dan sudah berusia, kedua-dua wanita ini pantas saja melakukan kerja. Sekali-sekala melemparkan senyuman ke arah kami, tangan mereka terus menghentak parang dalam genggaman.

Potongan kayu karas itu kemudiannya dimasukkan ke dalam sebuah mesin pengisar yang berdiri tegap di satu sudut. Kongsi Mazalan, mesin itu berharga tidak kurang daripada RM12,500 sebuah.

"Hasil kisaran kemudiannya diperam di dalam air selama dua minggu. Selepas itu ia akan dikeringkan. Untuk karas gred rendah, kami asingkan untuk dijual bagi membuat colok.

"Hasil daripada karas gred bermutu lebih tinggi akan dimasak di dalam dapur antara lima hingga 10 hari, bergantung kepada gred, untuk mengekstrak minyaknya," jelas anak kelahiran Kampung Chasi, Tok Uban, Pasir Mas, Kelantan ini.

Bahagian pemprosesan yang menggunakan teknologi yang 'diimport' dari Thailand ini memperlihatkan 60 dapur berbaris panjang dengan setiap satunya dilengkapi tong gas sendiri. Kata Mazalan, kos keseluruhan pembinaan dapur ini ialah RM50,000.

"Satu pusingan memasak serbuk kayu karas untuk gred C rendah, yang mengambil masa lima hari, menghabiskan sehingga dua tong gas 16.5 kilogram.

"Tetapi untuk gred C tinggi dan ke atas yang dimasak sehingga 10 hari, empat tong gas yang sama diperlukan," tambah bapa kepada empat orang anak ini.

KOS pembuatan dan pemasangan dapur ini mencecah RM50,000.

Selepas lima hari, minyak gaharu akan terkumpul di dalam tabung suling dan terapung di lapisan atas permukaan air. Ekstrak ini akan 'dikutip' pada setiap lima hari mengikut jadual yang ditetapkan.

Mendirikan tiga buah kilang, dengan sebuah di Bukit Beruntung, Selangor, Mazalan berkata pemprosesan dijalankan 24 jam sehari. Ini kerana jika api dapur dimatikan, proses pemanasan akan menggunakan lebih banyak gas dan memakan masa.

Untuk tujuan eksport, Mazalan menyimpan minyak gaharu yang telah dikumpul ke dalam botol aluminium bermuatan 1.2 liter. Dalam sebulan, dapur itu dapat menghasilkan enam botol aluminium minyak gaharu.

"Minyak ini dijual pada harga RM420 setiap 12 gram, iaitu menyamai satu botol tolal.

"Kami dapat menjual pada harga ini kerana kami dapat menyediakan minyak gaharu yang pekat sebagaimana diminta pembeli," katanya yang menjelaskan, semakin pekat minyak gaharu, semakin tinggi nilainya.

Aquilaria Crassna Pierre

Taxonomy and Nomenclature
Family: Thymelyaceae
Synonyms: none

Vernacular/common names: agar wood, eagle wood (Eng), bois d’eaigle, bois daloes (France), tram huong, Do bau (Vietnam), kritsanaa (Thailand, Laos). Related species of interest: Aquilaria is represented by a number of species in SE Asia - Pacific. The taxonomic status of some of them is uncertain. Some important species are A beccariana van Tiegham, A. banaensis Pham Hoang Ho, A. subintegra Ding Hou and A. malaccaensis Lam.

Distribution and habitat

Naturally distribution signifi cantly reduced by selective cutting. Mainly occurring south of 19º N in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. In Vietnam widely distributed, from central Vietnam southwards to Phu Quoc island (Kien Giang province). It is light demanding, occurring scattered in natural forest on rocky, shallow ferralitic soil, often along streams. Altitude range mainly 300-900 m.a.s.l. Annual rainfall around 1200 mm.

Uses

The main product is agar wood or eagle wood, which is a deposit of dark brown aromatic resin in the wood. Agar wood is produced in some old trees (at least 15-20 years old), presumable by some stress factors such as mechanical injuries, bacterial or fungal attack. Agar wood is used e.g. in temples as perfume wood. Aquilaria wood can be destilled and then yield an essential oil, which is used in the perfume industry. Both agar wood and Aquilaria oil is very much sought after and the species is disappearing from many of its original growth sites. However, the species is also cultivated, frequently planted around houses and home gardens, and large scale industrial plantations have been initiated in Vietnam.

Botanical description

Large evergreen tree, 15-20 (-30) m, and diameter up to 40-60 (occasionally 100) cm. Bark greyish-brown, slightly fi ssured, easy to peel off, smooth. Inner bark wet with much water. Branches nearly horizontal, not straight. Crown open. Leaves alternate, coreaceous, elliptical, petiole 4-5 mm, blade 8-13 cm long 3.5-5.5 cm wide, upper surface glossy and green, lower surface light coloured. Infl orescence umbellate, axillary or terminal. Flowers small, pale blue-yellow, fragrant, fi ne-haired, pedicel up to 1 cm long, fl oral tube campanulate, 4 mm long.

Open fruit with two seeds.

Fruit and seed description

Fruit: fl attened, dehiscent, obovoid capsules, 3-3.5 cm long, 2.5-3 cm wide with 2 valves, each with 1 seed. Capsule hard or leathery when dry, with short greyish-yellow hairs and persistent calyx. When capsules open on the tree, the seeds hang from a 5-6 cm long prolonged funicle. Seed: glossy black, ovoid, about 5-6 mm diameter, 4 cm long including a 3-3.5 cm long, twisted, tail like pubescent appendage. There are about 4500-5000 seeds per kg. Nearly mature still closed fruits

Flowering and fruiting habit

In southern Vietnam the tree flowers in February and fruits in May-June. In Central Vietnam (Quang Binh) it flowers in March and fruits in July Acquilaria crassna. From: Vietnam Forest Trees

Harvest

Fruits are harvested from the trees when they turn from green to yellow but before the capsules open. Harvest time is crucial because the seeds have very short viability after acquiring maturity.

Processing and handling

Capsules are dried under shade or moderate sun until they open. The seeds are fragile and remain attached to the capsule by the funiculus, and are therefore usually detached by hand. It is recommended to remove the arils before storage as it tends to absorb moisture and cause rotor fungal attack.

Storage and viability

The seeds are oil rich, recalcitrant with very short viability. In a storage experiment seeds the best storage condition was 25% moisture content and 8°C in folded plastic bags. After 1 months storage at these conditions viability declined from 41% to 22 %; the viability was ‘0’ after 2.5 months of storage. The experiment also showed that storage time is significantly prolonged when the seed is stored cold, i.e. at 8°C.

Dormancy and pretreatment

There is no dormancy and pretreatment is not necessary.

Sowing and germination

Germination is epigeal. Because of the recalcitrant nature, sowing should be as soon as possible after collection. Seeds are sown shallow in sand or nursery soil with only the seed part covered, the tail remaining above the soil. Germination starts after 10 days and may be spread over one month.

Phytosanitary problems

Seeds without the arilus removed tend to collect moisture and decompose rapidly.

Vegetative propagation

Root cuttings as well as air layering appear easy provided application of rooting hormones and appropriate microclimate. Also propagated by tissue culture.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

MELAKA : PBM akan tubuh pusat penyelidikan gaharu

PBM akan tubuh pusat penyelidikan gaharu- 18/2/2009

MELAKA 17 Feb. - Perbadanan Bioteknologi Melaka (PBM) akan menubuhkan sebuah pusat penyelidikan gaharu bagi membolehkan penyelidikan dan pembangunan kepelbagaian gaharu berkembang di Malaysia.
Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif PBM, Profesor Dr. Ramli Hitam berkata, PBM kini mempunyai tenaga penyelidik yang mencukupi untuk menjalankan penyelidikan dan pembangunan terhadap gaharu itu.
"Penyelidikan yang akan dijalankan itu termasuk mewujudkan profil pokok gaharu dan minyak wangi, penandaan pokok gaharu serta teknologi terbaik dalam penghasilan resin," katanya di sini, hari ini.
Presiden Persatuan Gaharu Malaysia, Datuk Seri Syed Razlan Jamalullail baru-baru ini mencadangkan Pusat Penyelidikan Aquilavia ditubuhkan di Malaysia bagi membolehkan penyelidikan dan kejian berkaitan kepelbagaian gaharu berkembang di negara ini.
Syed Razlan dilaporkan berkata, penubuhan pusat berkenaan perlu kerana gaharu merupakan produk yang penting dalam penghasilan pelbagai bahan kecantikan, perubatan dan minyak wangi.
Dr. Ramli berkata, gaharu mempunyai banyak spesies seperti Aquilaria malaccensis, Aquilaria crassna, Aquilaria beccarian, Aquilaria subintegra, Aquilaria agallocha dan Aquilaria sinensis.
"Berdasarkan penyelidikan berkenaan kita berharap dapat memperkenal spesies pokok gaharu yang boleh matang dalam tempoh masa yang singkat dan menghasilkan lebih banyak resin yang bernilai tinggi," katanya.
Beliau berkata, bagi tujuan penyelidikan dan pembangunan, PBM telah menanam pelbagai pokok gaharu di kawasan seluas 40 hektar di negeri ini.
Katanya, selain PBM, pihak lain seperti Jabatan Perhutanan turut mengusahakan ladang tanaman pokok gaharu di negeri ini.
"Bagi menjayakan penyelidikan dan pembangunan ini, Perbadanan Bioteknologi Melaka akan bekerjasama dengan pihak berkaitan seperti Jabatan Perhutanan dan FRIM (Institut Penyelidikan Perhutanan Malaysia)," katanya.
Dr. Ramli berkata, usaha yang dijalankan oleh PBM itu antara lain bagi mengembalikan semula kegemilangan Melaka sebagai pusat perdagangan gaharu di Nusantara pada zaman Kesultanan Melayu Melaka.
Beliau berkata, industri gaharu mempunyai potensi pasaran yang luas dan permintaannya amat tinggi dan jika diusahakan secara komersial boleh memberi keuntungan lumayan. - Bernama

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Gaharu Tree (also known as Wood of the Gods)

The Agarwood or Gaharu Tree (also known as Wood of the Gods) produces the raw material for incense, perfumes or fragrant and even alternative medicine.

The scientific name for Gaharu is Aquilaria and is also known as scented wood in the old days.

Usage of Gaharu

The “Wood of the Gods” has been traded and highly appreciated for thousands of years. This resinous wood is used as incense, for medicinal purposes, and pure resin in distilled form is used as perfume and perfume component.

Value of Gaharu

The value of first-grade Agarwood is extremely high. A whole range of qualities and products is on the market varying with geographical location and cultural deposition. Prices range from a few dollars per kilo for the lowest quality to over thirty thousand US dollars for top quality oil and resinous wood.

LATAR BELAKANG POKOK GAHARU

Pokok Gaharu atau dikenali dalam Bahasa Inggris sebagai Agarwood adalah pokok dalam family Thymelaeceae. Pokok yang telah matang akan membesar sehingga 40 meter tinggi dan berdiameter 40cm. Pokok gaharu di hutan semulajadi mula mengeluarkan resin gaharu pada usia 20 hingga 45 tahun, bergantung pada ketahanan pokok dan tindakbalas kecederaan pokok.

Pokok gaharu amat diminati kerana dapat menghasilkan aroma yang wangi dan menyenangkan apabila dibakar kayunya. Mengikut data yang dikeluarkan pada Persidangan Gaharu Dunia pertama di Vietnam terdapat 16 spesis dari genus Aquilaria yang mempunyai nilai komersil yang tinggi.

BERIKUT ADALAH JENIS-JENIS AGRAWOOD MENGIKUT RANKING

1. AQUILARIA SUBINTEGRA, Found at Thailand
2. AQUILARIA CRASSNA, Found at Thailand, Cambodia, Loas, Vietnam
3. AQUILARIA MALACCENSIS, Found at Thailand, India, Indonesia
4. AQUILARIA APICULATA, Found at Philippines
5. AQUILARIA BAILLONIL, Found at Thailand, Combodia, Loas, Vietnam
6. AQUILARIA BANEONSIS, Found at Vietnam
7. AQUILARIA BECCARIAN, Found at Indonesia
8. AQUILARIA BRACHYANTHA, Found at Malaysia
9. AQUILARIA CUMINGIANA, Found at Indonesia, Philippines
10.AQUILARIA FILARIA, Found at Nuegini, China
11.AQUILARIA GRANDIFLORA, Found at China
12.AQUILARIA HILATA, Found at Indonesia, Malaysia
13.AQUILARIA KHASIANA, Found at India
14.AQUILARIA MICROCAPA, Found at Indonesia, Malaysia
15.AQUILARIA ROSTRATA, Found at Malaysia
16.AQUILARIA SINENSIS, Found at China

Pokok gaharu hidup di kawasan tanah pamah sehingga ketinggian 750m dari aras laut dan memerlukan taburan hujan dan kelembapan yang tinggi. Gaharu digunakan dalam industri minyak wangi, produk perubatan, perubatan Ayurvedic, majlis keagamaan dan sebagainya.

Permintaan untuk gaharu semakin tinggi walaupun pengeluaran semakin berkurangan menyebabkan harganya semakin meningkat setiap tahun. Kebanyakan gaharu dieksport kepada. pemborong-pemborong di Singapura, Timur Tengah, Hongkong dan Taiwan.

Harganya boleh mencecah sehingga RM14-18 ribu sekilogram untuk gred Double Super. Malahan harga pasaran untuk minyak gaharu juga amat tinggi iaitu RM45 ribu/kg (kaedah penggredan kualiti kayu dan minyak masih belum dipiawaian dan bergantung kepada penjual dan pembeli).

Asia Tenggara mengeksport gaharu bernilai RM48.3 million ke Arab Saudi dan bekalan hanya memenuhi 20% daripada permintaan pasaran.

Buat masa ini, kebanyakkan gaharu dikeluarkan daripada hasil hutan dan amat terhad. Tanpa penanaman semula. spesis ini akan terus diancam kepupusan disebabkan aktiviti pengambilan gaharu.

Penanaman gaharu di Malaysia masih baru dan belum popular, tetapi di negara lain seperti Indonesia, Thailand dan Kemboja sudah lama diusahakan. Malah ia mendapat sokongan yang amat kuat daripada pihak agensi kerajaan mereka dari segi modal dan teknologi.

Keseluruhan pokok gaharu (batang, daun & akar) berguna dan dapat dikomensilkan.

Penanaman pokok gaharu sesuai dijalankan di tanah terbiar, kawasan rezab hutan simpan, kawasan pembalakan yang telah diterokai dan dijalankan secara pertanian hutan ladang dan diintegrasikan dengan pelbagai tanaman lain seperti herba dan tanaman komoditi.

Gaharu Commercial Production

Researchers are looking at various inducement techniques to produce aromatic gaharu on a commercial scale.

The Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (Frim) began researching in the late 1990s following a surge in market demand for gaharu and is still refining its inoculation technique.

Based on anecdotes from Orang Asli collectors, researchers deliberately wound the tree trunk and indeed, gaharu was produced in varying degrees of formation, suggesting that it can be induced in standing Aquilaria trees by artificial means. But the grade obtained was inconsistent.

Over 100 Aquilaria malaccensis saplings were planted on a 1ha trial plot at the institute’s research station at Bukit Hari between 1998 and 2000. Artificial inducement was carried out after three years but the trees did not respond.

FRIM research co-ordinator Dr Chang Yu Shyun suspects that the trees were not mature enough to produce the resin.

"In nature, when a branch or twig is broken, the wound attracts bacteria, fungi and pathogens. In gaharu-producing species like Aquilaria, the tree will produce the resin to contain the infection from spreading, covering the wound and blackening the whitish heartwood. That’s how gaharu is produced.

"The challenge is to come out with high quality or the desired grade and predictable volume to make planting a viable solution to over-harvesting of wild species," says Chang.

The senior research officer in the biotechnology division says the research initially focused on inoculation trials but later expanded to cover the biological aspect, economic value, trade and chemical analysis of the fragrant resin.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Institute of Nuclear Technology (Mint) has applied nuclear irradiation technology to mass-produce plantlets via tissue culture.

Seeds were screened for fast-growth and single-bole characteristics at the cellular level and lead researcher Dr Rusli Ibrahim claims he has found the secret formula after one year of experimentation.

"With this technique, we can fast-track the growing stage. Many plantation investors will benefit from this advancement."

Five hundred plantlets are growing in a trial plot near Dengkil. Rusli says two other research groups will look for suitable antagonists to induce the tree and the best extraction technique to yield oil of the desired chemical composition.

The hill within the MINT compound was recently discovered to host 157 matured Aquilaria trees. "At the end of the year, we intend to invite two United States experts to demonstrate to the growers the right way of inoculating these trees," says Rusli.

MINT has submitted four funding proposals under the Ninth Malaysian Plan to support the research work which will also include developing a standard grading system for woodchips and oil extracts.

How to inoculate Gaharu for its valuable resin?

How to inoculate Gaharu for its valuable resin?

Inoculation is a method was developed to induce the production of gaharu in young plantation trees. The trees are wounded or inoculated in a specific manner and the gaharu production as the natural defence response is supported by applying specific treatments. This method can ensure the sustainable production of gaharu in plantation trees.

The artificial inoculation process involves creating holes on a karas tree, filling them with fungal pathogen, and sealing them off with wax

Produced only by “sick” trees infected by fungi, this highly sought after fragrant resin has a cohort of uses, from aromatherapy to spa baths, decorative furniture, perfume, chopsticks, weapon holders, massage oil, joss sticks and items of medicinal value.

After four to six years, upon maturing, the trees will be injected with fungal pathogens to trigger gaharu production, and this can be harvested after five months to a year.

NILAI GAHARU

Di pasaran tempatan teras gaharu dijual berdasarkan mutunya yang dibahagikan gred-gred tertentu iaitu di antara RM1000.00 hingga RM25,000.00/kg.

Pati minyak yang diekstrak juga dijual berdasarkan mutunya mengikut gred tertentu iaitu di antara RM350.00 – RM1200.00/pertola/ atau 12 ml.

Ketulan kayu / wood chip gaharu dijual berdasarkan mutu mengikut gred dari RM4 – RM350/kg.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyO-oOTUUdnP8A9QGfqO68w1Lx5Qdamwd0FoV5oF-zZt9KZY4Kl0IDQ2bpI31dmOYjhhRVZceR_0K4Of2ys_kfC12XLr6AaEF9YA2Fd3V7gAgDKeXmV8qF7samXMEQ37fQnfZUbvVq5Q/s320/black-agarwood-oil.jpg

GRED AAAA - MINYAK GAHARU (OIL)
12 ML = RM650 - RM1200
1000 ML = 1 LITRE = RM 65,000 - RM150,000
1 LITRE = 1 KILOGRAM

GOLD PRICE CURRENT = RM130,000.00 / KG

Scientific knowledge on gaharu

Recorded scientific knowledge concerning gaharu and Aquilaria dates back several centuries to the journals of the first explorers, traders, and naturalists to Asia.

Scientific research in tropical forestry and agriculture undertaken in the 19th and early 20th centuries focused on species of significant commercial value to the colonial trading companies—most notably tea, coffee, cacao, and rubber. Research interest in Aquilaria and its primary product, gaharu, has been sporadic at best.

Most publications have focused on Aquilaria’s botanical characteristics, its products and their uses, occasionally on processing techniques, and later on mechanical properties, wood structure, and chemical properties. Some of the first controlled, scientific experiments with Aquilaria and gaharu production began in India in the late 1920s (Beniwal 1989).

Over the next few decades, only a handful of research reports were published. Between 1970 and 1994, only 22 articles were produced, with more than three-quarters appearing in the last decade and a half. The pattern that emerges across the range of research topics related to Aquilaria indicates an upsurge of interest, both in consumer as well as producer countries, with the increase in commercial activity. Compared with the previous decade, the number of research articles on this species trebled over the last decade.

Across the spectrum of topics, including research on chemical, botanical, and mycological aspects, roughly twice as many publications have appeared on chemical analysis, especially from Japanese scientists interested in biosynthesis. Information from researchers and traders in Southeast Asia indicates that field trials testing various regeneration methods and inoculation protocols are being conducted in Bhutan, Burma, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Laos. Little of this research has been published and it may well be retained as proprietary information given the potential lucrative profits to be made from the successful domestication of gaharu production.

Aquilaria (Agarwood, Karas or Gaharu)

What is Aquilaria?

Aquilaria is a genus of eight species of trees in the Thymelaeaceae Aetoxylon sympetalum native to southeast Asia. They occur particularly in the rain forests of Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Northern India. The trees grow to 6-20 m tall. The leaves are alternate, 5-11 cm long and 2-4 cm broad, with a short acuminate apex and an entire margin. The flowers are yellowish-green, produced in an umbel; the fruit is a woody capsule 2.5-3 cm long.

The genus is best known as the principal producer of the resin-inpregnated agarwood, especially Aquilaria malaccensis. The depletion of wild trees from indiscriminate cutting for agarwood has resulted in the trees being listed and proteced as an endangered species. Projects are currently underway in some countries in southeast Asia to infect cultivated Aquilaria trees artificially to produce agarwood in a sustainable manner.

Species

* Aquilaria acuminata
* Aquilaria apiculata
* Aquilaria baillonii
* Aquilaria crassna
* Aquilaria filaria
* Aquilaria grandiflora
* Aquilaria malaccensis
* Aquilaria ophispermum
* Aquilaria pentandra
* Aquilaria rugosa
* Aquilaria sinensis
* Aquilaria yunnanensis

Agarwood is a resinous wood that sometimes occurs in trees belonging to the Aquilaria genus, Thymelaeceae family. Aquilaria is a fast-growing, archaic tropical forest tree, which occurs in South and Southeast Asia, from the foothills of the Himalayas to the rainforests of Papua New Guinea.

The tree grows in natural forests at an altitude of a few meters above sea level to about 1000 meters, and it grows best around 500 meters. It can grow on a wide range of soils, including poor sandy soil. Seedlings need a lot of shade and water. Trees grow very fast, and start producing flowers and seeds as early as four years old. At least fifteen species of Aquilaria trees are known to produce the much sought-after Agarwood.

In South Asia Aquilaria achalloga is found, particularly in India, Aquilaria malaccensis is mostly known from Malaysia and Indonesia, and Aquilaria crassna principally grows in Indochina. A number of other species are known such as Aquilaria grandfolia, Aquilaria chinesis etc.

Usage

The “Wood of the Gods” has been traded and highly appreciated for thousands of years. Resinous wood is used as incense, for medicinal purposes, and pure resin in distilled form is used as perfume and perfume component. Outside native countries it is most widely known in the Middle East, China, Taiwan and Japan.

A strong connection exists between use, religion and curative properties, and elaborate traditional and religious ceremonies are known from around the world. Faith healers in the Middle East use it at curative ceremonies, Japanese pilgrims donate flowers and Agarwood oil to Shinto-Buddhist temples, and Vietnamese religious groups are obliged to bring Agarwood to ceremonies at their temples in Mekong delta communities.

Value

The value of first-grade Agarwood is extremely high. A whole range of qualities and products is on the market varying with geographical location and cultural deposition. Prices range from a few dollars per kilo for the lowest quality to over thirty thousand US dollars for top quality oil and resinous wood. Aquilaria crassna is listed as an endangered species in Viet Nam, and A. malaccensis is listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union, IUCN.

Extinction

Resin producing trees are endangered throughout their known habitat all across Southeast Asia. The main driving force, which initiated this project, was the recognition of unsustainable Aquilaria harvesting in natural forests that resulted in the near extinction of this tree genus in Viet Nam and elsewhere.

Aquilaria crassna is now listed as a protected species in Vietnam, and Aquilaria malaccensis is a CITES red data book listed tree. Trade and harvesting restrictions will be virtually impossible to achieve if no alternative is developed to forest-based harvesting. In addition, both in the short and long-term, a natural resource base needs to be maintained to supply present and future Aquilaria plantations with genetic source material, in order to prevent plant decease, maintain diversity and possibly improve resin production.

Substitutes

Development of synthetic substitutes usually arises when sustainable supplies of the natural product are not available. One of the first questions pursued when contemplating the previous pilot project was: “is it possible to synthesize Agarwood and Agarwood oil?” The answer is a qualified no. Agarwood cannot be synthesized. Chemical substitutes are already available for perfume; these are cheap and constitute the least profitable end of the market.

In addition, these products do not come even close in mimicking the natural product and thus do not pose a threat to producing naturally based Agarwood products. The major chemical components responsible for the characteristic scent of Agarwood products, sesquiterterpenes, can in principle be synthesized. However, these are very complicated structures that will be extremely expensive to synthesize, which makes it commercially completely unattractive.

Tanam gaharu boleh jadi jutawan

GOPENG 19 Jan. - Sama ada percaya atau tidak, seseorang itu boleh menjadi jutawan hanya dalam tempoh sekurang-kurangnya tujuh tahun jika menanam sebanyak 400 pokok gaharu di kawasan seluas 0.4 hektar.

Ini bermakna, berdasarkan harga pasaran, setiap pokok gaharu yang berusia antara tujuh hingga sepuluh tahun mempunyai nilai antara RM5,000 hingga RM20,000 sepokok.

Sememangnya pokok gaharu mempunyai nilai yang sangat tinggi dan ia merupakan faktor utama mengapa David Ho Kwan Meng sanggup berbelanja besar mengusahakan ladang gaharu pertama di negara ini.

Beliau yang telah hampir 20 tahun berkecimpung dalam penanaman pokok gaharu kini mula mengorak langkah dengan lebih agresif apabila bertekad mengusahakan ladang gaharu seluas 113 hektar di sini.

''Dahulu saya tidak mampu untuk menanam pokok gaharu dalam jumlah yang banyak kerana kosnya agak tinggi iaitu sekitar RM15,000 bagi setiap 0.4 hektar.

''Sekarang, selepas anak-anak habis belajar barulah saya boleh buat tanaman secara besar-besaran di kawasan seluas 113 hektar ini kerana yakin ia bakal mendatangkan hasil cukup lumayan," katanya ketika ditemui Utusan Malaysia di sini hari ini.

David yang merupakan Pengarah Urusan Gaharu Technologies Sdn. Bhd. berkata, punca utama mengapa pokok gaharu amat bernilai tinggi adalah kerana ia boleh diproses untuk menghasilkan produk kesukaan ramai iaitu minyak wangi.

Selain itu, ia juga boleh menghasilkan pelbagai haruman yang sentiasa mempunyai permintaan tinggi sejak zaman berzaman.

Pada masa yang sama, daun-daun pokok gaharu boleh dijadikan produk teh hijau yang kini menjadi kegemaran ramai kerana mempunyai aroma yang menyegarkan selain rasanya yang cukup lazat.

Menurut David, minyak kayu gaharu juga boleh dijadikan sebagai bahan menghasilkan kosmetik kecantikan.

Katanya, tidak cukup dengan itu akar-akar kayu pokok gaharu ini pula boleh dijadikan produk ubat-ubatan.

''Sebab itulah pokok gaharu ini mempunyai nilai yang sangat tinggi. Malah nilai sebatang pokok gaharu boleh mencecah sehingga RM3 juta ringgit jika mempunyai minyak yang banyak.

''Namun kebiasaannya pokok gaharu yang bernilai jutaan ringgit itu berumur antara 20 hingga 30 tahun dan dari jenis baka yang baik," katanya.

Menurut David, teknologi yang dihasilkan syarikatnya telah membolehkan pokok gaharu boleh dijual dalam tempoh lebih singkat iaitu sekitar tujuh hingga sepuluh tahun berbanding 20 tahun pada masa lalu.

''Ini kerana pokok gaharu yang kami hasilkan adalah jenis kacukan, dalam tempoh tujuh tahun ia sudah boleh ditebang kerana sudah cukup besar dan mempunyai minyak yang banyak.

''Jika orang menanam pokok gaharu baka lain, tidak semestinya ia boleh mendatangkan hasil seperti pokok gaharu yang kami hasilkan.

''Penjagaan pokok gaharu juga mudah tetapi mesti dilaksanakan dengan betul. Kita akan menyuntiknya dengan hormon apabila sudah berusia enam tahun supaya ia benar-benar berkualiti," katanya.

Beliau berkata, pihak syarikat tidak akan menghalang mana-mana pihak mengusahakan ladang gaharu malah menggalakkan mereka menceburi bidang tersebut.

Tambahan pula, syarikatnya sudah mula menjual baka pokok gaharu pada harga RM30 sepokok jika orang ramai berminat menceburi bidang berkenaan.

''Kami sudah sampai ke peringkat lebih tinggi sekarang dan bercadang untuk membina kilang sendiri bagi mengeluarkan minyak daripada pokok gaharu.

''Satu masa nanti syarikat ini boleh membeli hasil pokok gaharu daripada orang ramai dan kita sama-sama boleh menikmati hasilnya yang cukup lumayan," katanya sambil menambah orang ramai yang berminat boleh menghubungi syarikatnya di talian

Cecair emas' gaharu bernilai - Utusan Malaysia

ARKIB : 11/02/2009

'Cecair emas' gaharu bernilai

Oleh SYED RIDZUWAN SYED ISMAIL
utusanperlis@utusan.com.my

ARAU 10 Feb. - Penanaman gaharu atau agarwood semakin mendapat tempat di negara ini apabila pelbagai pihak termasuk orang perseorangan mengambil peluang untuk memperoleh 'cecair emas' yang bernilai tinggi di pasaran antarabangsa.

Gaharu digunakan secara meluas dalam industri minyak wangi, produk perubatan, perubatan ayurvedic dan majlis keagamaan tertentu.

Permintaannya yang tinggi terhadap produk ini menyebabkan pokok gaharu yang tumbuh ratusan tahun dalam hutan sering 'diburu' walaupun perbuatan ini merupakan satu kesalahan kerana pokok dari spesies ini merupakan tanaman dilindungi.

Penanaman gaharu secara kecil-kecilan atau komersial membolehkan aktiviti penebangan gaharu di hutan dikurangkan dalam usaha menjaga khazanah yang begitu bernilai itu.

Bagaimanapun, penjualan gaharu dalam skala besar bukan perkara yang mudah kerana ia memerlukan pengesahan badan pemantau khas yang dikenali sebagai Rangkaian Pemantauan Perdagangan Hidupan Liar (TRAFFIC) yang dibiayai oleh Dana Hidupan Liar Sedunia (WWF).

Tanpa pengesahan dari badan khas ini, penjualan gaharu menjadi sukar walaupun sesebuah negara itu mempunyai pengeluaran gaharu yang tinggi.

Menyedari potensi dan pentingnya pengesahan maklumat yang perlu diberikan kepada TRAFFIC untuk aktiviti penjualan gaharu, Persatuan Gaharu Malaysia (PGM) ditubuhkan atas inisiatif Datuk Seri Syed Razlan Jamalullail yang juga Presiden PGM.

Syed Razlan berkata, objektif penubuhan PGM adalah untuk memperbaiki kedudukan pengusaha gaharu yang kini menjalankan penanaman secara sendiri tanpa mendapat sebarang bantuan termasuk maklumat terkini mengenai penanamannya.

''Gaharu terdiri daripada pelbagai spesies iaitu aquilaria crassna, aquilaria malaccensis, aquilaria beccarian dan banyak lagi. Tetapi tahap kematangannya bergantung kepada kepelbagaian, ada yang memerlukan masa sehingga 15 tahun untuk mendapatkan gaharu.

''Bagi jenis aquilaria subintegra, proses kematangannya lebih pendek iaitu mengambil masa antara lima sehingga tujuh tahun untuk mengeluarkan gaharu," katanya di sini baru-baru ini.

Katanya, PGM juga bertanggungjawab memperkenalkan jenis baru bagi membolehkan para pengusaha gaharu memperoleh hasil dalam tempoh yang tidak terlalu lama seperti menggunakan jenis subintegra.

''Ramai pengusaha kini yang berlumba-lumba untuk menanam gaharu tetapi mereka tidak mengetahui kaedah yang betul terutama bagi membolehkan gaharu mengeluarkan minyak melalui suntikan atau menebuk batang pokok berkenaan.

''Kebanyakan mereka hanya mengharapkan penghasilan minyak gaharu daripada proses semula jadi iaitu dari agen ulat yang menebuk batang tanpa mengetahui adanya teknik baru dengan penggunaan kulat yang boleh menggalakkan pengeluaran gaharu,'' ujarnya.

Ada antaranya tidak mengetahui tempoh matang sebenar pokok gaharu yang ditanam sehingga mereka terpaksa menebang pokok yang tidak mengeluarkan minyak gaharu.

''Ini merupakan masalah yang dihadapi oleh pengusaha-pengusaha gaharu iaitu mereka tidak mempunyai maklumat yang mencukupi dalam mengusahakan tanaman ini apatah lagi berkaitan hal penjualan yang memerlukan seseorang itu mengesahkan bahawa gaharu yang dihasilkan itu bukan datang dari hutan.

Bagi sesiapa yang berminat untuk mendapatkan maklumat atau menyertai PGM mereka boleh menghubungi Setiausaha Agung PGM, Ahmad Sufiani Johari di talian 0126857338 atau melalui email di gaharu.malaysia@gmail.com

Fragrance from the gaharu tree

Story and photos by Grace Chen

WHO would have thought that the gaharu tree, infected to the core with parasitic fungus, is a prized component in the making of perfumes and incense?

Careful now: A spilled drop is a pricey loss. A 12ml bottle of pure oud oil retails at RM380 at Oud Line.

But to Ahmed Kamal Chowdhury, the CEO of Oud Line, these diseased trunks have been part of his family’s perfume business since 1973.

Explaining the correlation, Ahmed revealed that the diseased gaharu tree is the source of a rich dark resin within the heartwood known as oud by the Arabs. The secretion process of the resin, which is nature’s way of suppressing the parasitic attack, gives off a distinctive smell.

It is this aromatic property which makes oud highly sought after as an incense and perfume.

“In a natural forest only about seven per cent of the trees are infected by the fungus. This rarity makes oud valuable,” said Ahmed who has 24 years of experience as a perfumer.

The highest quality of resin has to come from a tree’s natural immune response to a fungal attack. If the tree has been artificially inoculated with the same fungus, the resin will be considered inferior.

According to Ahmed, the grading of oud lies in the experience of buyers like himself. For the uninitiated, there is a high chance that he may be cheated.

“The only way to make sure that you are getting genuine oud oil or incense is to go to a reputable dealer,” affirmed this Bangladeshi who set up Oud Line in Malaysia in 1999. The company also has boutiques in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Jakarta and Sylhet, Ahmed’s home state in Bangladesh.

Jewels from nature: The variety of oud oils from Asia are used in a variety of perfume blends.

The best grades of oud are usually reserved as incense. It is only after the premium wood has been sifted out that the remaining lots are sent to a distillery. There the wood is finely chopped and soaked in water until they turn pulpy. This pulp is then placed in a still under a fire to extract oud oil. For 12 ml of oud oil, approximately seven kgs of chopped wood needs to go through the distillation process for about a week.

“Many French and Swiss perfume companies use oud oil as a basic note to give their perfume blends a richer touch. Samsara, a perfume by Guerlain, is one example,” Ahmed said.

Though the smell of oud oil may come across as over-powering and acrid to the first timer, Ahmed assured that one will get used to itafter a period of exposure.

“It is a healthy smell. When you get used to it, you will not like any other smell,” claimed Ahmed.

Ahmed also revealed that many people have misconceptions that oud is only used by the Arabs.

“The Japanese are the largest consumers of oud incense as they use it for religious ceremonies like the Kodo festival. The wood is also made into fashion accessories and sculptures and feng shui pieces,” he said.

Treasure from nature: Glistening beads of resin and the darkish lines in the wood is a characteristic of first grade gaharu.

To sample a whiff of oud, Oud Line is located at 68, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100, KL. Tel: 03-21455077.

UDG KARA

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