Thursday, 27 March 2014

沉香缘 - CCTV 10

沉香在华人文化中拥有着丰富的历史。它在中国文化中有着举足轻重的角色。除了在CCTV 7 上映的节目,中国电视台CCTV 10,探索科发现的节目中也介绍了沉香。由此您可以看到沉香在中国市场有着什么样的身份和价值。

您可以从以下的链接观看沉香缘的节目。

沉香缘(上)
沉香缘(下)


如想了解更多详情,欢迎您联络我。

办公室:+60 82 456095
或可电邮致:hopebiotech.jong@gmail.com

Saturday, 22 March 2014

中国电视台 CCTV 7 《致富经》

中国电视台,CCTV 7 《致富经》 里头有一个很特别的节目。它在介绍受折磨的木头,价钱却贵比黄金。 而它说的正是沉香!大家可以看看这节目,以便更了解沉香。除此之外,节目受访人,沈汝青也在节目里教授如何辨别真假沉香。

这节目可用链接观看。祝你享受这节目!
http://sannong.cntv.cn/program/zhifujing/20140311/105485.shtml

如有任何疑问或想了解更多详情,欢迎您联络我:
办公室: +60 82 456 095 (Ms. Jong)
或是电邮至: hopebiotech.jong@gmail.com

Monday, 3 March 2014

沉香市场报告 - By Sustainable Asset Management

上次我有分享“沉香市场报告”的连接,而现在为了方便您了解沉香的市场,我会把这份报告的主要内容和摘要分享出来。这份报告是由新加坡Sustainable Asset Management所准备的。

沉香是一种非常珍贵的非木材森林产品。在3,000年前,它已被记录用于文化和宗教目的,横跨中东,埃及,日本,中国和印度。而它被广泛用于香水,香,药物,芳香疗法和文化宗教的仪式。在宗教记录中,沉香被伊斯兰教用于庆祝人生大事;佛教用于治疗病痛;而基督教用沉香熏基督的身体。

野生沉香树
沉香树是沉香的重要来源。而沉香树主要的生长地区为东南亚地区,如印度,泰国,马来西亚,向东到巴布亚新几内亚(Papua New Guinea)。健康的沉香树木为白色,柔软,无树脂。这些部位不能被加工成木材,因此,此部位价格较低。

可是,当沉香树收到某些外部因素,如雷击,虫咬或被微生物入侵时,它的防御系统会产生树脂,而这树脂就是沉香。据估计,自然感染发生的几率为3-7%。然而,沉香树是否被感染无法从其外部得知。因此,为找寻这价值高昂的沉香,许多沉香树被非法砍伐。

保护机构
为维持这珍奇的沉香,世界上最大的两个野生动植物保护机构都将沉香树列入濒危物种。而这两个机构为国际自然保育联盟(IUCN和濒危野生动植物种国际贸易公约CITES。这两个机构在根除非法沉香交易,保护此物种和找出最有效的方法以持续发展沉香的合法市场扮演着很重要的角色。

沉香树种植
随着沉香产品交易的监管和认证的需求,企业制定了一共可以持续发展沉香市场的解决方案,那就是沉香树种植。而现在的科学已经能做在种植的沉香树上制造出感染的现象,从而引发沉香的产生(此方法也被称为植菌)。因此,沉香种植园主们可以生产可进行买卖而不被限制的沉香。

商业应用
沉香可用于制作许多产品。而这包括了香水,医药,饮料,沉香吊饰,甚至是日常用品如洗发水和肥皂。高需求,有限供应,使得它成为全世界最昂贵的木材。

沉香市场
根据估计,沉香产品的年度贸易介于美元60 – 120 个亿。其中只有月20%是合法并拥有CITES的许可证。沉香的贸易量是非常难以确定。那是因为绝大多数的贸易并没被记录。因此,它的价值并不容易取得。而高品质沉香油的价格范围从每升50,000美元至80,000美元。
每托拉(约11.6克)沉香油零售价格(美元)
每公斤沉香碎片的价钱(美元)
沉香等级
沉香的市场和价格一般是根据市场专家的标准而定制,并没有一套通用的沉香分级标准。而当他们在鉴定沉香的品质时,他们会根据以下的性质决定。

沉香碎片是根据:
  • 香气,
  • 原产国,
  • 香味的持续时间,
  • 沉香的颜色,和
  •  大小和厚度。
而沉香油是根据: 
  • 香气,
  • 原产国,
  • 香味持续时间,和
  •  颜色、厚度和密度。
结论
沉香是一个很特别的木材。在它未受感染前,树的价值有限。只有在他被感染后,它所含有的树脂,使其价格飙升。在沉香树种植的投资是属于林业投资。他应被视为中长期机会,以最少的供应和需求的波动为基础。它耐用的性质和多样化的应用提供了稳定和持续的回酬。

Summary of Agarwood Market Report by Sustainable Asset Management

As what I found in this report is very informative in agarwood (gaharu) worldwide market. Thus, I would like to summarise the important details in this report. 

Gaharu is being highly prized as a non-timber forest product which has a history dating back thousands of years. As recorded, gaharu had been used for cultural and religious purposes dating back over 3,000 years spanning the Middle East, Egypt, Japan, China and India. As reported, gaharu had been used in Islam in celebrating important life events; Buddhism used gaharu in ailing people and Christianity used gaharu to embalm the body of Christ. 

Gaharu trees in the wild
Gaharu trees are the most important source of gaharu. Gaharu trees are an indigenous species to the Southeast Asia region such as India, Thailand, Malaysia and eastwards to Papua New Guinea. The healthy wood of gaharu trees is white, soft and without resin. These parts cannot be processed into timber, thus, the value is very low. 

When the trees are being affected by certain external factors such as the lightning strike, animal grazing, insect attack or microbial invasion, it will produce resin as the defensive reaction and this resin is known as gaharu. Estimates suggest the naturally occurs infection in the wild are as few as 3 - 7% only. Nevertheless, it is difficult to know from the exterior whether the tree is infected or not. Consequently, many gaharu trees are illegally logged in order to find this small number of infected trees. 

Protecting the species today
The two most notable protectorate bodies involved in active preservation of the gaharu tree are IUCN and CITES. Both organisations are critical in the drive to eradicate the illegal trades, protect the species and identifying pragmatic and effective methods to sustainably develop a legal market place for gaharu. 

Gaharu trees plantation
With the regulation and certification fo trade in the gaharu products, there comes an opportunity for businesses to develop a sustainable market based solution - gaharu trees plantation. Science nowadays has been able to recreate the infection process in plantation grown trees which is known as inoculation. As a result, gaharu trees plantation owners can now produce commercially viable quantities of gaharu for sales and distribution. 

Commercial application
There is many commercial application for the gaharu, from cultural, social and medicine to haute couture. The high global demand, with limited supply, makes it the most expensive wood in the world. It is used in cancer research, to treat respiratory disorders; given as gifts and used in ceremonial practices for both religious and non-religious all over the world. It is also carved into sculptures, beads and boxes; and luxury perfumery houses also use the oil in their fragrances. It is also used in making gaharu tea that believes can bring health benefits. 

Gaharu market
It has been estimated that the worldwide annual trade in gaharu is somewhere between USD 6 - 12 billion of which it is estimated that only about 20% is legal and carries the appropriate CITES permits. The worldwide trade in gaharu volumes is extremely difficult to ascertain because the vast majority of the business is undocumented. Data on pricing and values are therefore not easy to obtain. The price of high quality gaharu oil varies and can range from USD 50,000 to USD 80,000 per litre, depending on perceived quality. 

Another type of common gaharu product sell is gaharu chips. It may sell for several hundred to several thousand US dollars per kilogram. Gaharu chips and flakes are the most common forms of gaharu traded. 
Retail prices of gaharu oil per tola (USD)

Price per kilo of gaharu chips (USD)
The same observation can be made for both the market for gaharu chips and gaharu oil. A combination of factors such as: stock depletion in the wild leading to reduced supply, tighter regulation imposed by protectorate bodies has fueled the perception of rarity leading to rising prices.

Gaharu grading
The market and pricing for gaharu chips and gaharu oil can be subjective and dependent on unofficial grading and pricing mechanisms - generally determined by market experts as opposed to a common set of market standards. When considering the quality of gaharu chips and oil, the following characteristics are taken into account. 
  • Gaharu chips
    • Aroma,
    • Country of origin,
    • Duration of fragrance,
    • Colour of wood, and
    • Size and thickness.
  • Gaharu oil
    • Aroma ,
    • Country of origin,
    • Duration of fragrance, and
    • Colour/Thickness/Density.
Conclusion
The gaharu tree is a special story. In its uninfected state, the tree has limited value and only when it becomes infected, does it then contain the illusive resin that makes the value soar. 

An investment in gaharu trees plantation is an investment in forestry and should be considered a medium to long term opportunity underpinned by minimal supply and demand fluctuations. It's durable nature and its varied applications offer stable and constant returns. It is widely accepted that investment in forestry assets, especially those with specialist applications, will offer lasting benefits not only to the investor, but also the forestry industry and the environment as a whole.