Sadaharitha promoting Walla Patta cultivation in home gardens
View(s):Sadaharitha Plantations Ltd, a commercial forestry plantations recently released a landmark study on the possibility of growing Walla Patta in home gardens, a media release issued by the company stated.
Initiated by Sadaharitha Plantations, the research was conducted in collaboration with the National Research Council and the Department of Forestry and Environmental Science of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, to dispel the ‘baseless beliefs’ that are prevalent in the media on Walla Patta, the release said.
The main objective of this research is to assess the feasibility of developing and growing a successful Walla Patta commercial plantation that produces the valuable Agarwood resins within a decade and creating awareness among the general public of opportunities in Walla Patta cultivation in one’s home garden.
Gyrinops walla is the botanical name of Walla Patta belonging to the Thymelaeaceae family. Eight known varieties of these species are available in forests of the South East Asia countries. Among these genre, only Gyrinops walla, locally known as Walla Patta is found in Sri Lanka. In ancient Sri Lanka, villagers used this wood for rituals and traditional religious ceremonies. However after 2012, this changed when international demand for the wood grew, the release said.
Injury to the tree due to natural causes results in the production of a dark coloured resinous tissue. This is known as Agarwood and the process of this production is the tree’s response to injury as its first line of defense. According to Botanists the natural formation of this resin usually requires a period of 25-30 years and naturally formed Agarwood is used to manufacture perfumes, incense and cosmetic products.
According to Dr. Upul Subasinghe, Senior Lecturer and Department head of Forestry and Environmental Science, University of Sri Jayewardenepura who is led the study said, “Due to the commercial nature of this crop the interest from the private sector has greatly increased. While this has resulted in many advantages, unfortunately due to non-policing and over exploitation detrimental repercussions are also foreseen today. The destruction of Walla Patta is such as example. However if we understand the true economic potential and suitable regulations are implemented we can reap the benefits from Agarwood or Walla Patta cultivations”.