Asia Plantation Capital developing showcase for agarwood plantation
Asia Plantation Capital has joined with Pipat Suvanajata, vice president and chief operating officer of the downstream petroleum group at PTT, to develop not only a showcase agarwood plantation but also a full visitor centre on land owned by Pipat's famil
This project will be based on the extensive agri-forestry experience of Asia Plantation Capital across numerous other plantations in Thailand, and the model it has been studying and may also develop in China’s Hainan province. A similar joint-venture project is already under way in Hong Kong.
The idea behind the development in Thailand is twofold – primarily to showcase Asia Plantation Capital and its plantation management systems focusing on the development of the agarwood industry on all levels and to appeal to the growing tourist aspects of the agarwood industry as driven by its importance across Asia, at both the rural economy level and with international trade, and the cultural significance of oud oil in the Middle East and China.
The development will be in stages over a scheduled 12-month period, with work starting this month and showcased with live updates on the company’s website.
Stage 1 will be the preparation of the site near Khao Yai National Park and planting of agarwood saplings in the system the company has developed on what is fast approaching 2,000 rai (320 hectares) of land in Sakhon Nakhon, laid out with computerised irrigation and nutrient delivery systems as well as 24-hour monitoring.
Stage 2 involves the construction of buildings to house a modern visitor centre depicting the history and uses of agarwood and oud oil, as well as a model working distillery and laboratory and a retail outlet for all end products, including oud-based fragrances and related items produced by Fragrance Du Bois.
Large video screens will not only display the history of agarwood and the modern agri-forestry processes used by the company, but also educate visitors on the importance of CITES in protecting these rare trees and live streaming video feeds from all the company’s online cameras located on their plantations.
There will be a corporate sales office within the development for agarwood products and oil, export sales, as well as plantation and management services.
Asia Plantation Capital and the Suvanajata family aim to make this attraction of great interest to local tour operators. They say the area is growing in popularity with many tourists visiting nearby holiday resorts. Also the national park is a key attraction to the local population who already descend to this area in large numbers just about every weekend and on public holidays.
Barry Rawlinson, chief executive of Asia Plantation Capital, said the company had an opportunity to step out of the box. Word will travel very quickly, which the company expects will lead to approaches from farmers and smaller landowners who may be unsure of the best way to proceed with trees they already have on their own land.
Done properly this could prove a win-win situation for all concerned – local people with direct jobs in tourism and plantation management, increased tourist revenue for the region and of course increased business for the Thai sales department of Asia Plantation Capital.
