Cargill strengthens commitment to the prevention of land and plantation fires
Singapore, September 12, 2014 – Marking its commitment to supporting the prevention of land and plantation fires in South Sumatra in Indonesia, John Hartmann, Chief Executive Officer of Cargill Tropical Palm Holdings, signed a declaration along with others from the plantation industry in South Sumatra.
The signing ceremony was held at the residence of Alex Noerdin, Governor of South Sumatra, in Griya Agung, Palembang. Representing the Governor was the Secretary of the South Sumatra Government, Mukti Sulaiman. Also present at the ceremony was Hudi Haryono, Director of Plantation Protection at the Ministry of Plantation and Agriculture in Indonesia, and representatives of palm oil companies, plantation departments, and local authorities in South Sumatra.
John Hartmann said, “Cargill strongly supports the government of South Sumatra’s efforts to prevent and control land and plantation fires in our local communities. Today’s declaration underscores our commitment, as a foreign palm oil company in Indonesia, to maintaining our longstanding strict zero-burning policy and to taking the lead in fighting the haze in the region.”
“We have a responsibility to the local communities around our plantations to educate and raise awareness on best practices on fire prevention and responsible farming. We do this by conducting regular fire prevention programs, and ensuring we have adequate fire extinguishing vehicles and personnel on standby at each of our locations.”
Cargill is firmly committed to sustainable palm oil production and sourcing. Our updated palm policy, released in July 2014, underlines our commitment to no deforestation, no planting on high conservation value lands or high carbon stock areas; to not develop on peat, regardless of depth; and to respect the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.
Contacts | |
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Indonesia: Nuning Maryati, +62 2157-46168, [email protected] Hartono, +62 2179-88411, [email protected] Singapore: Colin Lee, +65 6393 8193, [email protected] Naeema Ismail, +65 3157 5625, [email protected] |
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