TEA TREE

Sabah is trying to tap into the lucrative essential oil industry by planting tea tree as a commercial crop.

Projects namely the UNDP/GEF-IDS Herbal Demo Plot project, MOSTI-IDS Biotech Satellite project and tea tree commercialisation project.

Sabah Agro-Industrial Precinct (Saip) aims to develop a complete localisation of the technologies to develop tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) as a commercial crop in Sabah.

Market projections predict a shortage of the antibacterial oil in the future, and the target of the project is to have the crop cultivated locally in large quantities.

Native to New South Wales, Australia, trial cultivation of tea tree is currently being carried out at the Saip demo plot at Kimanis, Papar.

The process and expertise from this project will help the state to venture into the essential oil industry from the state's Sabah's rich biodiversity resources from other essential oils and fragrances include :

1) jasmine,

2) ylang-ylang,

3) patchouli,

4) gelam and

5) kesum.

The beneficial properties of tea tree include antiseptic and antifungal and antibacterial, and is also believed to have beneficial cosmetic properties.

The essential oil of tea tree can fetch RM200 per kilogramme.