Jakarta, 12th October 2017 – Asian Agri, one of the largest palm oil companies in Indonesia, participated in Trade Expo Indonesia (TEI) 2017, organized by the Ministry of Trade of Indonesia from 11 to 15 October 2017 at Indonesia Convention and Exhibition in BSD, Tangerang.
Asian Agri’s booth in Hall 8 was themed around sustainable oil palm management, featuring three oil palm trees, four fresh fruit bunches and ramet to attract visitors.
Bringing Topaz Seeds to the World
Asian Agri’s high yielding Topaz seeds attracted the attention of President Joko Widodo and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo as they visited booth with Darmin Nasution, Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs Indonesia; Enggartiasto Lukita, Minister of Trade; and Pramono Agung, Cabinet Secretary, after the opening ceremony yesterday.
On the occasion Ang Boon Beng, Topaz Seeds Senior Breeder at Asian Agri, explained that the company is focused on raising productivity without using additional land, therefore the R&D team continues to develop Topaz seeds that can produce a high volume of quality palm oil.
When asked by President Joko Widodo, Ang Boon Beng said that Asian Agri has a plantation of 300 hectares in Riau which can produce about 25 million seeds per year. “Currently we are producing Topaz seeds according to existing demand,” Ang explained.
Fadhil Hasan, Asian Agri’s Corporate Affairs Director; and Bernard Riedo, Head of Sustainability & Stakeholder Relations, welcomed the presence of President Joko Widodo and First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo together with ministers to Asian Agri’s booth, which was located next to Apical, a company which manufactures palm oil into various derivative products, such as cooking oil, margarine and shortening for local and export markets.
Riedo said: “It is an honor for us that Mr. President Joko Widodo visited our booth and asked about the development of the palm oil industry, production capacity and superior seeds that we produce. He asked us, Asian Agri, to help the oil palm farmers to get superior seeds for better crops.”
Asian Agri was participating in this event for the first time, affirming the company’s commitment to managing sustainable palm oil plantations to visitors, especially those from abroad. “This opportunity is utilized to educate and promote Indonesia’s sustainable palm oil, environmental commitment and partnerships with farmers,” Bernard said.
Asian Agri focuses on plantation intensification by improving product quality on existing lands, applying agronomic best practices and assisting farmers through partnership programs extending to 60,000 hectares of Plasma smallholders and 25,000 hectares of independent smallholders.
The company also protects the environment through its Fire Free Village Program, which has significantly reduced fire in its areas of operation, and the construction of seven biogas plants which convert organic waste from the production process into power for the mills and local communities. A total of 20 such plants are planned by 2020.
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About Asian Agri:
Asian Agri is one of the leading private companies in Indonesia producing crude palm oil (CPO) since 1979 and employs around 25,000 people today. Since 1987, Asian Agri has been a pioneer of the Indonesian government’s Trans-National Government Migration (PIR-Trans) program. Today, the company manages 100,000 Ha of land and partners 29,000 smallholder families in Riau and Jambi who operate 60,000 Ha of palm oil plantation.
Asian Agri’s success in becoming one of the leading CPO companies has been acknowledged internationally with the ISO 14001 certification for all of its operations. Its Learning Institute in Pelalawan, Riau, as well as its nursery research center in Kampar, Riau are ISO 9001 certified. In addition, Asian Agri’s R&D Center in Tebing Tinggi has also obtained certification by the International Plant-Analytical Exchange at the WEPAL lab at Wageningen University in The Netherlands, for its high standards.
More than 86% of both owned plantations in North Sumatra, Riau & Jambi provinces & scheme smallholder plantations in Riau & Jambi provinces have been RSPO certified.
All plantations have also been ISCC-certified (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification), including plantation owned by smallholders. Palm oil mills and plantation in Buatan, Ukui, Soga, Tungkul Ulu, and Muara Bulian have been ISPO (Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil) certified.
For further information, please contact:
| Maria Sidabutar |
| Head Corporate Communication |
| E-mail: Maria_Sidabutar@www.asianagri.com |
| DID: +62 21 2301 119 |
