After securing trust and establishing rapport with the participants, USM liaises with various herbal companies in the northern areas. Vicinity is also important to cut transportation costs of the raw materials. A nursery is also set up in the village to ensure sustainable supplies of seedlings for the project in collaboration with the participants. The project selected Sidratul Enterprise, which uses the IMP certification. The discussions with the herbal company focus at the types of herbs demanded by the companies, products, and mode of supply to the company. As part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme in Balik Pulau, the herbal company agreed to conduct workshops on motivation, training on drying and production of herbal products, and marketing. The social motivation training is also aided by an NGO known as UNGGAS (Pertubuhan Menangani Gejala Sosial Malaysia or Malaysian Organization to address social problems). In terms of economic production, a cooperative known as Koperasi Warisan Lestari (KOWARI or Sustainable Heritage Cooperatives) was set up to address the legal aspects of the business, including contract selling to the private sector, management of the plantation, production, and marketing of end-products. Another existing cooperative, Koperasi Usaha Kampung (KUKAM or Village Initiative Cooperatives) produces the banana flour and paper, while KOWARI markets the products. The coop members are village residents. The role of USM, under the Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS), is mainly to facilitate networking between the villagers and the private sector, to ensure sustainable supply of raw materials from the villagers, and to ensure ready market for the end-products (Figure 3). The Figure also shows other stakeholders that function 130 THE ASIA REGIONAL FORUM ON BIODIVERSITY as buyers of the end-products. In the case of banana flour as anti-pollutant agents, buyers include government-linked companies responsible for water treatment (Puncak Niaga), the Penang local authority (Majlis Perbandaran Pulau Pinang or MPPP), and potential government agencies that will continue to fund the programme such as the Malaysia Industry- Government Group for High technology (MIGHT) and the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU). The cooperative is also responsible for setting up the drying facilities to process the torch ginger and the One Stop Centre (OSC) which will showcase the banana and torch ginger products (Figure 4). The project is being closely monitored by USM. Figure 3. Roles of different stakeholders. Figure 4. Design of the one stop centre to showcase the products.
In Celebration of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s 84th Birthday Anniversary
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