Gossip9 Lanka News : Walla Patta, scientifically known as Gyrinops walla, is a commonly seen sub canopy tree that grows in home gardens as well as in wet zone forests. So it came as a surprise when authorities learned of illicit operations to smuggle this seemingly insignificant tree out of the country. Not long ago, Walla Patta was found to produce a resinous substance called “Agarwood” (also known as oud), which is used as a base for the world’s most expensive perfumes. No one in Sri Lanka knew Walla Patta had this valuable property until recently. “Agarwood specialists haven’t had a chance to study Walla Patta,” Dr. Samantha S. Fernando, biodiversity specialist and researcher attached to the University of Peradeniya, told the Sunday Times. “International specialists say they don’t know if Walla Patta can actually produce Agarwood, they haven’t even seen the plant. Even scientists and law enforcement officials didn’t know about this, but the smugglers knew. ” A Walla Patta smuggling operation was apprehended “for the first time in history” in Kalawana, Ratnapura, earlier this year, by a rainforest officer who saw Indian men carrying bags of wood chips. A follow-up investigation revealed the smugglers were using the wood to extract Agarwood.- sundaytimes.lk
Dr.Upul Subasinghe speaks about Walla Patta >>
