Jakarta, 27 March 2019 – Asian Agri’s commitment towards supporting the sustainable palm oil industry saw an encouraging development when two of its business units received Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) certifications. This achievement also marks the full ISPO certification of all companies under Asian Agri.
The certification was presented today by Director of Perennial and Beverage Crops for the Directorate General of Plantations at Ministry of Agriculture, Ir. Irmijati Rachmi Nurbahar, M.Sc, who was accompanied by ISPO Secretariat Commission, Aziz Hidayat, to Asian Agri’s Sustainability and Stakeholder Relations Director Bernard Riedo at the International Conference and Expo – Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ICE-ISPO) in Jakarta.
According to Aziz, ISPO has to-date awarded 502 certifications to 493 companies, 5 independent cooperatives and 4 plasma cooperatives, all managing the total plantation area of 4,115,434 ha.
In 2013, PT Inti Indosawit Subur was the first Asian Agri business unit to obtainISPO certification. Asian Agri also supports all its partnered palm oil smallholders in gaining ISPO certification. Among them, the Amanah Association in Riau has the distinction of being the first independent smallholder cooperative in Indonesia to be ISPO certified.
“We are fully committed to the sustainable production of palm oil. We consistently implement best practices in all operational activities across all our plantations and mills. The same commitment also applies to our smallholder partners”, said Bernard.
About Asian Agri:
Asian Agri is one of Indonesia’s largest palm oil producers since 1979. Today, the company manages 100,000 hectares of land and employs over 25,000 people. A pioneer of the Indonesian government’s Trans-National Government Migration (PIR-Trans) program, Asian Agri works with 30,000 plasma smallholders in Riau and Jambi who operate 60,000 hectares of palm oil plantations, as well as independent smallholders, bringing about positive impact on their quality of life and economic development.
Implementing a strict “no burn” policy and best practices in sustainable plantation management, Asian Agri has helped its smallholder partners improve productivity, yield and supply chain traceability, while assisting them obtain certifications. The company’s mills are technologically advanced and energy self-sufficient, minimizing greenhouse gas emissions.
Asian Agri is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). More than 86% of both owned plantations in North Sumatra, Riau & Jambi provinces and 100% of scheme smallholder plantations in Riau & Jambi provinces have been RSPO certified. All plantations, including those owned by smallholders, have been certified by ISCC (International Sustainability & Carbon Certification). The company has also been 100% ISPO (Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil) certified.
The company’s operations are ISO 14001 certified, while its Learning Institute and nursery research center in Riau province, Indonesia are both ISO 9001 certified. Asian Agri’s R&D Center in North Sumatra was also given a certification by the International Plant-Analytical Exchange at the WEPAL lab at Wageningen University in The Netherlands, for its high standards.
For further information, please contact:
| Dinna Permana Setyani |
| Corporate Communication Manager |
| E-mail: DinnaPermana@www.asianagri.com |
| DID: (021) 230 1119 |
