GUA MUSANG: Zakaria Abdullah, an Orang Asli, can now afford a broad smile after his hard work and sacrifices in searching for the Raja Kayu (King of Wood) had finally paid off, giving him a handsome income from the forest produce.
The 55-year-old Zakaria, from the Batek Tribe, said that Raja Kayu contains various properties for traditional treatment and can be used for making wood carvings.
He said the forest products are usually sold to buyers in Kuantan, Pahang, for RM15 per kilogramme (kg) and can reach RM2,000 per 100 kg.
“I will process the wood before sending them to the buyers. To get that 100 kg, I sometimes have to stay in the forest for up to two weeks,“ he told reporters when met at his house in Kampung Pasir Linggi, Pos Lebir, today.
Zakaria said he is often assisted by his son, who goes with him to the forest along the Kelantan-Terengganu border to collect Raja Kayu logs.
He explained that the trunk of the Raja Kayu tree must first be scraped off to obtain the core, which is highly sought after by wood lovers.
The processing of each log takes about six hours to ensure that all the outer layers are completely scraped off. - Bernama
