KUCHING: Biodiversity-based products in Sarawak hold strong commercial potential and should be developed into high-value market products while ensuring sustainability and community participation, says Acting Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Biodiversity Centre (SBC), Margarita Naming.
She said the centre is working closely with local communities and industry partners to unlock the value of biodiversity resources such as sekiu oil, which she described as a high-quality natural product with significant commercial promise.
“This will continue on because I would think that any products from the biodiversity, we need to bring it to commercial.
“We have to go through research, sustainability, propagation and then commercialisation,” she told the press after officiating the Sarawak Biodiversity Day today (May 23).
On the potential of sekiu oil, Margarita said the product has strong applications beyond food, particularly in the cosmetics industry.
“In terms of the potential, it is very high because this is our local one and it comes from the knowledge of our community. So we can develop it not only in terms of food, but also into cosmetics,” she said.
She added that the oil is of exceptional quality and can even be compared favourably with well-known premium oils.
“It is a very high-quality oil in terms of cosmetics, like you can compare it even better than olive oil, even better than VCOs,” she said.
Explaining why it is often referred to as Sarawak’s “liquid gold”, Margarita said the oil’s unique appearance and limited seasonal yield contribute to its high value.
“If you look at the oil itself, it looks golden. And in terms of its potential, it fetches a very high price because you don’t get the oil every year. They have it annually in small amounts, but every three years they get a bloom,” she said.
She noted that this year is expected to be a peak harvesting period for sekiu oil due to its bloom cycle.
On production and commercialisation plans, Margarita said SBC is adopting a balanced approach between wild harvesting and cultivation to ensure sustainability.
“Now the community is collecting from the wild, but we also have projects where we are doing propagation. We are getting the community to plant it because the value is already there,” she said.
She added that collaboration efforts are also ongoing with the Sarawak Forestry Department and local communities to expand planting efforts.
“At the same time, we need to ensure sustainability. We don’t want to destroy the forest. We work together with the community,” she said.
Margarita said sekiu trees have so far been mainly found in areas such as Matu and Penibong, typically in riverine and peat swamp ecosystems, based on both scientific surveys and community knowledge.
“We are still searching in other regions because it is mostly found along rivers and swamp areas. We are doing surveys and inventories,” she said.
She added that the partnership with local communities began through documentation work prior to the first benefit-sharing agreement in 2023.
Margarita also said SBC is working closely with industry partner BioVerde Technologies (BVT) to develop the value chain and support commercial rollout.
Among the potential products being explored are edible sekiu oil and cosmetic applications, including hair masks and other personal care products, she added.
