Riau, 24 April 2020 – Asian Agri helped villagers in North Sumatra, Riau and Jambi – provinces where the company operates, in their fight against COVID-19 by providing handwashing facilities as well as distributing masks.
The company collaborated with the government, the National Police, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), and village officials to install the handwashing facilities, conduct awareness campaigns, as well as distribute masks to the various communities.
Asian Agri’s and CSR Head, Welly Pardede, said, “We are aware of the importance of concerted efforts to remind all communities of the danger of the virus as well as educating them on how to prevent the spread of the disease. We would like to contribute to the national and local official’s campaigns to encourage the public to abide by physical distancing measures and wear masks.”
Welly explained that the company’s efforts to provide the facilities and equipment are complemented by the installation of banners and posters that contain useful information of what COVID-19 is, what people can do to prevent its spread, and how people can prevent its spread with practices such as washing their hands regularly, keeping a 1.5 meter distance between individuals, and minimizing external non-essential activities during this time.
Over the past few weeks, Asian Agri has been mounting portable water facilities with taps placed in village offices and public facilities such as prayer rooms, so that people can wash their hands regularly. To date, more than 1,000 portable water facilities have been distributed by the company across the three provinces.
Welly added, “We hope that these donations, our regular disinfection of public facilities and houses of worship, as well as everyone’s continued cooperation will contribute to the swift eradication of the COVID-19 virus.”
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:
Maria Sidabutar
Head Corporate Communications
E-mail: maria_sidabutar@www.asianagri.com
DID: +62 21 2301 119
