Jakarta Globe, August 10, 2010
Daud Dharsono, president of Sinar Mas Agro Resrouces and Technology (SMART), the largest Indonesian palm oil producer, talks during a press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday following the release of a report on the company's environmental impact in the Borneo forests. Greenpeace says a report SMART claims vindicates the company of illegally clearing rainforest proves otherwise. (AFP Photo/Romeo Gacad)
Related articles
- Greenpeace Names and Shames Companies over Indonesia Paper 12:24pm Jul 6, 2010
- Indonesian Sinar Mas-Linked Firms Cutting Virgin Rain Forest: Greenpeace 9:59am Jul 29, 2010
- Rich Nations Pledge $4 Billion to Stop Deforestation; Indonesia Agrees to Moratorium 11:24am Jul 22, 2010
- Sinar Mas Continues to Clear Indonesian Rainforests: Greenpeace 10:34am Jul 6, 2010
- Greenpeace Protest Camp Destroyed in Suspicious Fire 11:44pm Apr 11, 2010
Jakarta. Indonesia’s biggest palm oil producer said on Tuesday it had been cleared of allegations made by environmental group Greenpeace that it had destroyed high conservation-value forests on Borneo.
A report commissioned by SMART, part of the Singapore-listed Sinar Mas agri-business group, found that it was not to blame for widespread destruction of Borneo’s forests as repeatedly alleged by Greenpeace, the company said.
“The report concluded that the allegations were largely unfounded and that SMART was not responsible for deforestation of primary forests and the destruction of orangutan habitats,” said SMART president Daud Dharsono.
The investigation was carried out by Control Union Certifications and BSI Group.
SMART, the Indonesian palm oil unit of its Singapore-listed parent company Golden Agri Resources (GAR) and part of the Sinar Mas agri-industry empire, commissioned the probe in February after the claims were first made by Greenpeace.
Greenpeace accuses SMART of widespread forest destruction, including clearing primary forests and peatland.
GAR has lost major clients including Unilever, Kraft and Nestle over environmental concerns.
SMART’S Dharsono said Tuesday, “All the land in the 11 concessions examined comprised of secondary forests, degraded and shrub land and were no longer primary forests before SMART started land clearing and planting.”
He acknowledged that there were some plantations on peatland but “not as extensively as claimed” by Greenpeace, with just “1.8 percent cultivated on total concessions.”
However, Greenpeace Indonesia forest campaigner Bustar Maitar replied that SMART’s own audit “largely confirmed Greenpeace’s finding” that the company cleared peatland and primary forests.
“They misinterpreted the audit result,” he said. “It confirms that the company has been operating without the necessary permits and has been clearing deep peat illegally.”
Following the report, SMART “has not yet decided to take a legal action” against Greenpeace, Dharsono added.
Indonesia is considered the world’s third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, mainly through deforestation, much of which is carried out illegally with the alleged connivance of officials and security forces.
Agence France-Presse
Related Articles:
No comments:
Post a Comment