August- October 2020 Today, after six sessions,
the Remote Coaching with a company BATAS AGRO LTD in Nepal ended successfully.
The contacts were initiated by the Swiss volunteer organization Senior Expert Contact (SEC)
were five topics to be covered namely, Agarwood Plantation, Fruittrees, Agro Forestry, Agro Tourism, Composting and I added the possibilities for another subject, contribution to CO2 capture.
PowerPoint presentations were mainly used because communication via zoom meetings with 8 people wasn’t that easy.
The subject of Agarwood especially received a lot of attention.
Agarwood (Aquilaria malaccensis) is the rare and famous resin containing heartwood. It is commonly found in primary and secondary forest in Asia, mainly in plains but also on hillsides.
In Nepal the tree is almost unknown.
When the trees are healthy, Agarwood has a light or pale colour but when it is infected by disease, the process of infection creates a response to the attack resulting in a very dark and incredibly aromatic resin known as oleoresin. It is this rich dark resin which is so highly prized and from which Agarwood essential oil is extracted.
The company currently has 11 hectares available in the Pokhara area and is already implementing various plans.
We now have to wait for the end of covid-19, so that we can actually exchange additional knowledge in practice.
JAN ERFTEMEIJER