'Family trees planting' can attract S'porean tourists to Sarawak

During the Sarawak Forest Landscape Restoration Programme launch at Sabal Agroforestry Centre last month, Chief Minister Abang Johari Openg disclosed that a Sarawak Research Council had been set up to involve locals in tree planting for income.

He said logged forests could be replanted with rapidly growing trees such as ramin, engkabang and bamboo, and landowners could plant kepayang, which can start generating income in six years, and not depend solely on oil palms.

The chief minister declared belian, or ironwood, as Sarawak’s heritage tree, and rightly so.

The Bornean ironwood is one of the hardest and most durable timbers in the world because it grows very slowly. By the time it reaches 50m, it may be more than 1,000 years old and reached heights of 62.5m. Declaring belian as a heritage tree under conservation can help ensure this species does not go extinct.

On June 20, Abang Johari officiated the soft opening of Sarawak Trade and Tourism Office in Singapore (Statos). The Sarawak government is targeting a 30 percent increase in the state’s export to Singapore between 2019 and 2020.

One of these exports is tourism, as foreign exchange is earned when Singaporeans visit Sarawak and spend tourist dollar.

The Medical Tourism Coordination Committee, under the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports, should make full use of Statos to induce Singaporeans to seek medical treatment in Sarawak.

Apart from medical tourism, Sarawak can also offer several unique selling propositions (USP) to Singaporeans. The size of the state is more than 172 times larger than the island nation but with less than half the population.

Sarawak has an abundance of natural attractions that Singaporeans can only dream of. One USP is inviting Singaporeans to plant family trees in Sarawak.

Instead of limiting to drawings on paper or in digital format, Singaporeans can have their family

tree carved on concrete blocks in Sarawak and planting a tree behind each block, which can be a fast-growing ramin or engkabang, with bamboo added for aesthetics.

The concrete blocks and trees can be planted on large pieces of land owned by villagers and they can be paid for looking after them by sending regular updates to show the condition of the family tree in concrete and growth of the planted tree.

This would induce Singaporeans with family trees in Sarawak to revisit the state regularly, either to add the name of a new offspring on the concrete block or to hug the family tree.

They would develop a sense of belonging in such family gathering, and not just another transient visitor.

Instead of concrete blocks, Singaporeans may prefer to pay for metal pieces, but they must be firmly fastened to the ground as those easily removable could be carted away and sold to scrap iron dealers.

If there are giant boulders, it would allow the lucky few to virtually carve their family tree in stone for eternity.

But it won’t be long for entrepreneurs, both Sarawakians and Singaporeans, to scout for large pieces of scenic land to offer such family tree planting facility. In the past, many have made fortunes from similar tracts of rolling hills by converting them into modern Chinese cemeteries.

Also, it is easy to publicise such ventures. If the land has a river or stream running through it, the owner could upload a video and announce to the world he has just planted a tree along a riverbank that would eventually grow to be two kilometres wide.

This could be achieved by planting a banyan tree, as their roots also grow down from the branches. Once these aerial roots reach the ground, they would grow rapidly from nutrients found in the soil and eventually become another tree trunk.

With hundreds of aerial roots growing into the size of tree trunks, old banyan trees will continue to survive much longer than younger trees of other species.

On the other hand, ironwood may be cut down overnight as it is worth a fortune, like infected agarwood that fetches incredible prices.

Apart from family trees, Singaporeans can also be invited to plant organic vegetables. Villagers could prepare vegetable beds on unused lands for visitors to plant their preferred vegetables, and look after them for a fee and Singaporeans could track their growth via WhatsApp.

When they are ready for harvest, Singaporeans have several options. Return to Sarawak and feast on the organic vegetables or nominate others the opportunity, such as suggesting friends or relatives visit Sarawak to enjoy the great taste of vegetables freshly plucked from the beds.

If a large number of organic vegetables were planted, it would encourage a group to visit. But if one is too busy, the vegetables could be donated to charity or pay it forward by allowing those who are there to plant seedlings to consume ready for harvest vegetables.

The vegetables could be cooked in one of the villagers’ home and consumed together with other local delicacies or brought to restaurants where chefs are capable of cooking ordinary vegetables into gourmet dishes.

But unlike normal pay it forwards by unknown donors and beneficiaries, villagers would be able to connect planters and recipients to make such arrangements even more meaningful.

In time, someone would develop an app connecting participating villagers and visitors to Sarawak.

Statos must attempt to send a strong and clear message to all Singaporeans: Visit Sarawak to plant a family tree or grow your organic vegetables or set up a manufacturing plant.

And Sarawak has all the land they need for whatever plants they choose.

If this message is planted in Singaporean minds, Sarawak can expect a surge of tourists from the island nation with more than twice the population of the biggest state in Malaysia.

They will find Sarawak an idyllic sanctuary for retreat, away from hustle and bustle of Singapore.