GEORGE TOWN – Developer IJM Land Bhd has come to the assistance of Tropical Spice Garden (TSR) in Teluk Bahang here.
After TSR had earlier announced plans to close down due to the losses incurred from the many Covid-19 lockdowns, IJM has stepped in to provide a two-year sponsorship worth RM20,000 to the troubled eco-tourism attraction.
“The pandemic has upended the lives of people around the world, particularly businesses and communities in sectors that have largely been closed.
“They must endure the adverse impact of being in and out of operating mode, and TSG is one such establishment,” IJM Land northern-region senior general manager Datuk Toh Chin Leong said in a statement.
He presented a mock cheque to TSG chief storyteller Jonathan Lim to mark the sponsorship at Menara IJM Land.
Over the next two years, the company will sponsor RM20,000 (RM10,000 annually) to try to salvage TSG.
TSG serves as a community centre with its range of activities, where people of different backgrounds and localities come together to be empowered and their voices, amplified, Toh said.
TSG aims to preserve the gardens and herbal plants, as well as educate and inspire people with them.
“This sponsorship will see possible future collaborations with TSG, whereby we might include an area in our future projects to have a spice garden that will be beneficial to our customers, particularly the younger generation, as this green initiative serves to educate and promote the cultivation of green living and sustainability.”
TSG is a nature abode and is considered to be an exquisite ecosystem with 2ha of landscaped areas, where more than 500 living specimens of lush and exotic flora from around the world thrive.
It has been described as a biodiverse living museum of spices and other tropical plants.
Also known as Asia’s Hidden Eden, TSG is promoted as a place where nature meets culture.
Prior to the pandemic, a large portion of TSG visitors comprised both international and local tourists.
After the pandemic and closing of borders, the establishment lost a major source of its income. – The Vibes, September 27, 2021
