What is unique about Fiji Mahogany?
Our General Manager, Mr Semi Dranibaka, answers the question- “What is unique about Fiji Mahogany?” in the video below.
He talked about how seeds were first sourced from South America and how long it takes for mahogany to mature in Fiji.
TRANSCRIPTION BELOW –
The original mahogany, we bring the mahogany seeds from South America, countries like Honduras, Costa Rica. We brought the seeds from South America and we planted in Fiji.
That was during the 1960s when they were researching on what hardwood species they will plant. So they came up with mahogany. In South America, mahogany matures in around 80 to 100 years. Just like our native trees.
But in Fiji, when they came to plant the seeds, it takes only half of that age, meaning it matures around 30 to 40 years. So it’s probably the climate or the land, but in Fiji, our mahogany matures around 30 to 40 years.
So if you don’t harvest at the right time and it becomes over mature, you are susceptible to get diseases and rot, which means the quality of logs that you get will be deteriorated and you won’t get the value that you need to get from those logs.