WEEKLY

OMAN
12
WEEKLY
OMAN
13
A
hmed Mohammed Hawas Al Amri
is a busy man these days. The 60-
year-old sets out from his house
in Modam village early in the
morning and ascends the moun-
tains with the vigour of a youth. He squats near
frankincense trees, hefts his Manqaf (a chisel)
and gently peels of the bark. White droplets
oozes out, which transform into aromatic vis-
cous globules in a few seconds.
By evening, he fnishes chiseling the barks of
around 50 frankincense trees. Later, he would
visit the same location a fortnight later to make
a second cut. He would wait another two weeks
to make the third before collecting the dried
beads that form Frankincense one of the three
gifts that the Biblical Wise Men presented to
the infant Jesus.
When the Khareef season paints the Dhofar
mountains in a lush green hue, Ahmed stops his
tryst with the frankincense trees. And, his camel
caravan moves to Salalah to sell his priced pro-
duce to the exporters who will take it to coun-
tries as far as Italy, Greece, Yemen and India.
But people like Ahmed have been encoun-
tering a major threat to their livelihood for
quite some time. They were shocked to notice
that some of the frankincense trees have been
degenerating beyond repair, a trend that poses
a serious threat to the very existence of these
shrubs in the region.
I had discussed the issue with the board
members of the Environment Society of Oman
(ESO). We realised the need to monitor it. Thus
the Project Frankincense was launched, said
Dr Mohsin Musallem Al-Amri, a scientist who
works at the Agriculture Research Centre in
Salalah. With Mohsin at the helm as the project
manager, the four-year project that began on
February 15, 2010, with the support of HSBC
bank, aims to determine the right frequency to
tap the trees to get a good yield without afect-
ing the health of the trees. It also monitors the
meteorological data to decide the potential im-
pact of climatic changes in the growth pattern
of the trees.
Dhofar mountain region has approximately
400,000 frankincense trees. We have taken a
cross section of the trees for the research, said
Mohsin. At frst, the researchers reached out to
the elderly people in the region to get an idea
about the traditional tapping methods. They
made too many big cuts, using not-so-handy
knives to get a maximum yield. The harsh tap-
ping spelt the death knell for many trees,
Mohsin observed.
Two years down the line, Mohsin and his
team have made tremendous progress in their
study. They even taught the local people the
correct procedure to collect the resin which,
Egyptians believe, to be the sweat of the gods,
fallen to earth.
Hailing from Al Mughsayl area, frankincense
trees are so close to Mohsins heart. My fam-
ily had a lot of camels and frankincense trees.
I knew the plant from my childhood. I didnt
know about other trees till my school days,
Moshin, who holds a PhD in Ecology and Soil
Science from the Moscow Agricultural Acad-
emy, said.
In fact, Mohsin wanted to do the research
through the Ministry of Agriculture, where he
has been working for more than a decade. No
one dared to do a research on frankincense
trees so far. So I approached the ministry with
the proposal, but they turned it down as it is a
wild plant. But I was lucky to get the nod from
the ESO. This is a voluntary work and I fnd
time during weekends, in the evening and dur-
ing my of days, he said.
Methodology
At the outset, Mohsin and his team selected
four locations for the feldwork. We picked
Eardet, Aful, Ras Moushet and Shamal Akaat,
which come under the Northern and Southern
regions of Dhofar. We selected 180 trees for the
study, forty-fve in each location. The trees were
classifed into three categories according to the
circumference of the trunk. These trees were
further divided into fve sub-categories. The
frst sub-section was called Control. We didnt
make any cuts in the trees in this category. We
just monitored their natural growth. We made
standard cutting in the second sub-section (fve
trees) and harsh cutting in the third (fve trees).
The same procedure was done in trees in all re-
gions and the yield was recorded, says Mohsin.
The next step was to compare the results
with the yield from the tree in Control mode.
The fnal analysis would be done at the end of
the project, he said.
They also installed three weather stations
to record the climatic changes. It records air
temperature, relative humidity, wind direc-
tion, gust and speed, solar radiation and rain-
As more and more youngsters desert Dhofar region
and move to sprawling urban centers, frankincense farming
is slowly losing its sheen in its spiritual home. But the
Environment Society of Omans new project has raised
hopes of revitalising the generations-old business.
T A Ameerudheen goes on a frankincense trail
DHOFARS
DIVINE SAP
Varieties
of Dhofar
frankincense
Hougari Superior Grade
Hougari Superior is
comprised of hand-picked
Hougari pieces, known for
their green colour and size.
Hougari Regular
Hougari Regular are as large
as Hougari Superior, but
have a yellow tint and less
limy incense. It is the most
commonly used Hougari
type.
Naem Grade
Smaller in size and whiter in
color pieces of resin. It has
less aroma than the Hougari
types.
Najdi (Shabi) Grade
Endowed with high content
of incense oil and the dark
brown color, Najdi Grade is
the best for the frankincense
oil production.
Royal Hougari
The fnest frankincense.
Most expensive.
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OMAN
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OMAN
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Smuggling a major concern
Experts point out illegal resin collection in the Dhofar mountains is a major cause of concern. They
collect as much resin as possible in a short span, making many cuts in the tree. It has resulted in the
death of many trees in Dhofar. Later, they smuggle the resin and seeds to countries like Somalia.
fall in the selected areas. These stations will
monitor the weather changes for the duration
of the project. The data compiled during the
frst year would be used as the baseline data. It
would help us to discern the potential impact of
weather changes on both, the growth and yield,
of the frankincense trees, he said.
Traditional tapping
Though resin collection is a difcult job, Dho-
fari farmers climbed steep mountains during
the summer to collect the invaluable resin. The
frst cut, which is called Tawqii in Jaballi lan-
guage, is to par of the outer bark of the branch-
es and trunk. The thick milky white sap then
solidifes quickly and is left in that condition for
about two weeks. The second cut too produces
resin of inferior quality. But the real harvest be-
gins with the third cut, when the tree produces
quality resin, which is in huge demand in the
domestic as well as international market.
Resin collection is a tough job. One has to
stand under the scorching sun to gather the res-
in. Thats why most of the youngsters are reluc-
tant to involve in it. They want cooler jobs in the
cities. It resulted in diminishing yield, Mohsin
observed.
An indirect objective of the Project Frank-
incense is to encourage the young generation
to believe in the viability of the business and
re-grow frankincense trees. This in turn will
result in the revitalisation of the generations-
old business and minimization of urban sprawl
in the southern region of Oman. The project
encourages those people to come back to the
mountains that will minimise the pressure on
the green cover in Dhofar, he said.
Were the elders reluctant to associate with
the project? Not at all. People in this region
know me very well. They knew that I wouldnt
do things that might harm them. When I frst
approached them, they didnt say no to me.
We told them the importance to document the
results of the study for the future generations.
With their help, we designed a hatchet called
Al Manqaf for the tapping. The new equipment
is easy to use, said Mohsin, however pointing
out to another menace, that a lot of camels and
goats graze these areas and they are so fond of
frankincense leaves. Its very difcult to keep
them of, he said.
Can the farmers survive?
The golden, luminescent Hawjari frankincense
obtained from the trees of Wadi Hawjar is top
quality Dhofari frankincense and is valued at
OR 40 in the retail market now. Darker and
coarser varieties like Najdi, Shazri and Shaabi,
which cost OR 20 to 30 per kilgoram, are used
in perfumes.
The demand is more for high quality frank-
incense from Dhofar. The tree can ensure de-
cent living for the farmers. If we can grow the
plant in these vast tracts of mountains, we can
stop them from moving out. But we have to
give scientifc knowledge to them. The gov-
ernment should take the initiative. We need to
establish a Scientifc Center for this purpose,
Mohsin said.
However, experts attribute the huge demand
for frankincense to its medicinal values. Local
people use it for the treatment of lot of diseas-
es, including fever and headache. Traditional
Chinese medicine considers frankincense as
a substance that invigorates the blood while
some other studies proved that it could be used
to make medicine for cancer. It is also used in
making medicines for anti-infammation and
asthma too. People in this region know its
rich medicinal values. Recently, I was on a visit
to one of the research areas. Suddenly, I had a
stomach upset.
Farmers told me to cut the bark of the tree,
mix it with water and drink the reddish liquid.
Much to my surprise, I got immediate relief
from the pain, Mohsin reminisced.That is
not all. Even honeybee keepers beneft from
the frankincense farming. During the fower-
ing season, beekeepers take their hives to the
mountains so that bees can feast on the nectar
of frankincense. They keep their hives here for
over a fortnight before taking it back to their
farm, Mohsin said.
But is it possible to grow these trees in other
parts of the Oman? Dhofar region provides the
ideal soil and weather conditions for the trees.
So frst we have to encourage its cultivation at its
home. It can also be taken to other parts of Sala-
lah. We have conduct viability studies if we want
to take it to the other parts of Oman, he added.
Future ahead
Meanwhile, the ESO has chalked out various
plans to fght the growing desertifcation of the
Dhofar region. It is sad to see the irrational de-
velopment plans are causing a great danger to
the region. Of the 2010 species of plans found in
the Sultanate, 75 per cent belong to the Dhofar
mountains. Encroachment on vegetation is on
the rise in the region. This phenomenon afect-
ed the frankincense farming also, said Mehdi
Ahmed Jafar, vice-president, ESO.
He said the ESO would plant indigenous
trees in this area to make up for the loss. It is
time to create awareness among school and col-
lege students about the importance of planting
trees. Instead of cursing the darkness we have
to light a candle, he said.
The ESO has begun a campaign on earth day
(April 22) to preserve this natural resource.
We have planted 1800 saplings in the west-
ern Dhofar on April 22-23. Our aim is to plant
12,000 native plants in Dhofar, he added.
ameerudheen@hioman.com
Bader Al-Shanfari
Proj ect team-member
Proj ect Franki ncense
I used to visit the four diferent locations of
our study every day and note down the changes
observed in the trees. I hurt myself many times
while climbing the rocky terrain, but I take it
as part of my work. I am so happy to associ-
ate with the project that aims to revitalise the
frankincense business in the Dhofar region.
The tree has got a special place in our culture
and we have to protect it.
Anxiety and obsessive
compulsive disorder
Asthma, bronchitis,
laryngitis, cough and cold
Menstrual disturbances,
dysmenorrhea and
amenorrhea
Frankincense is an antiseptic (antibacterial and antifungal) and its anti-infammatory
qualities help in wound healing. It is also used in the treatment of the following diseases
Incensol
a component of frankincense
essential oil) possesses
neuroprotective properties in
neurodegenerative diseases
Cosmetics
Frankincense oil is a skin tonic and is
effective with sores, wounds, scars
and skin infammation. The essential
oil is often used in facial skin care
remedies because it helps reduce the
appearance of fne lines or wrinkles,
and the astringent properties clear
oil and dirt from the pores to reduce
Rheumatoid arthritis
and Osteoarthritis
Taking frankincense internally
helps boost the immune
system.
Dr Mohsin
Musallem Al-Amri
Proj ect manager
Proj ect Franki ncense
Frankincense trees grow on marginal land
not suitable for ordinary agriculture, protect
soil from erosion, produce good bio-mass and
provide shade. So it plays crucial environmen-
tal roles. We will put the tapping exercise on
hold during the Khareef season as the resin
will be washed away by heavy rain. Instead,
we will observe the morphological parameters
(like length, age, radius, colour, number of
branches, abundance of leaves and number
of seeds). The seeds collected during the last
Khareef season were stored to be used during
the germination phase.
Crucial role in
the environment