Taking a holistic approach to fire prevention
Indonesia’s forest and peat fires are one of the country’s most persistent environmental issues. As a leading sustainable agribusiness with plantations across the country, Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food is committed to operating responsibly to protect the environment and ecosystem that are crucial to local communities and the business.
Through strict adherence to our Zero Burning Policy, 99.97 percent of the GAR area was fire-free during 2021. In 2016, Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food launched the DMPA, which includes a wide range of initiatives designed to prevent and manage fires, including deployment of more than 10,000 Emergency Response Personnel on standby across our plantations.
DMPA programme builds capacity in local communities to prevent and fight fires through training in fire prevention, providing basic firefighting infrastructure, and establishing early-warning processes to deal with the risk of fires. To date, 90 villages have enrolled in the programme across Jambi, Riau, South Sumatra, Lampung, Bangka Belitung, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan.
“Prevention always begins with education. The Rumbun and Jungle Friends storybooks are excellent resources that encourage our students to take personal responsibility and act as change agents in order to prevent, prepare and protect our environment from forest and land fires. The children are excited to read the storybooks and share their learning with others,” concluded Diky Ardianto, Teacher, SMP Negeri 6 Kandis, Riau.
For more information on Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food fire prevention programme, please visit: smart-tbk.com/fire-prevention
About Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food
Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food operates under Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) is one of the leading palm oil plantation companies with a total planted area of 537,720 hectares (including plasma smallholders) as at 30 June 2022, located in Indonesia. It has integrated operations focused on the technology-driven production and distribution of an extensive portfolio of palm-based products.
Founded in 1996, GAR was listed on the Singapore Exchange in 1999 and has a market capitalisation of US$2.3 billion as at 30 June 2022. Flambo International Limited, an investment company, is currently GAR’s largest shareholder, with a 50.56 percent stake. GAR has several subsidiaries, including PT SMART Tbk which was listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 1992.
As an integrated agribusiness, GAR delivers an efficient end-to-end supply chain, from responsible production to global delivery. In Indonesia, its primary activities include cultivating and harvesting of oil palm trees; processing of fresh fruit bunch into crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel; refining CPO into value-added products such as cooking oil, margarine, shortening, biodiesel and oleo-chemicals; as well as merchandising palm products globally.
GAR’s products are delivered to a diversified customer base in approximately 100 countries through its global distribution network with shipping and logistics capabilities, destination marketing, on-shore refining and ex-tank operations in many countries. GAR also has complementary businesses such as soybean-based products in China, sunflower-based products in India, as well as sugar businesses.