Reply from Dr. Elli Luhat

On the issue raised by YB Baru Bian, I would like to put to the record straight.  I appreciate the response from him.  He is among thousands of people who responded after the report of the seed adoption programme came out.

I believe this is a positive response, especially from YB Baru.  I thank him for that.

Clonal rubber seeds do not exist. Clonal seeds are rubber seeds collected from rubber trees. People like YB Baru need clarification. I know that he got his information from someone who claimed to be an expert. To me that someone is bogus expert.

What do not exist are cloned seeds. The seeds cannot be cloned. They do not exist. But clonal seeds do exist. There are no scientific methods how to clone the seeds. People who say it can be done are bogus people.

Why I said that because this guy called me and he sounded like a foreigner. And he started talking to me about rubber. I told him that if he has experience and technology please come forward.  I told him that I will help him to recommend his work to Lembaga Getah Malaysia (LGM). I told him that if he has the technology, I make sure that being a member of the Malaysian Rubber Board we will get it patented.  He will be paid premium for it. He slammed the phone down. That was the first encounter with the bogus expert.

Another instance when I met bogus experts who tried to manipulate me. He said that his technology comes from China. And they came to talk to me about their technology that can produce rubber seeds from rubber seeds using hormones.  They told me they inject hormones into the seeds and that it will make millions of seeds for 1Malaysia rubber.

I ask for proof of their work. They walked out from my office.

The third instance when I met people from the land of the rising sun. They told me that they have a technology how to clone rubber and produce millions and millions of seedlings to produce 1Malaysia rubber. They use the tissue culture technology. I ask them whether it can be done.

I told them I have been doing this tissue culture during my academic life.  No doubt we can produce millions of planting materials. It can only apply to plants like orchids and pitcher plants, because these plants don’t have main roots. (tunjang). Can you prove to me that it can be done to rubber trees? We know that rubber trees have main roots. They just left. They could not bluff me.

They come and talk to me, but they cannot convince me. And then they turn to politicians trying to influence them.

YB Baru could have been informed by these people. Just imagine people from Japan, China and England to tell us that they have a technology to plant rubber, when there is no rubber trees in their countries.

DLT does not have a licence from LGM. I buy my parent trees from LGM. DLT also does not have any funding from LGM. I would like to give free to the farmers, but I have my limit.

LGM is only assisting farmers in term of technology. It commercializes and patents its technology. If you want some funding, you either go to RISDA or Department of Agriculture.

DLT is a private company and has nothing to do with government projects. It has the heart to supply clonal seeds under its adoption programme to the farmers who can promise DLT that they can undertake the projects. One of the conditions is that they must get rubber bud eyes from DLT for the bud-grafting.

I hope my explanation will clear the air.