Major APRIL supplier found in serious breach

According to the forest portal ForestHints.news, one of APRIL’s major suppliers, PT SRL, has reportedly violated the Environment and Forestry Minister's decree freezing the license of this pulpwood plantation concession in mid-November 2015 due to its role in last year’s massive peat fires.

The decree prohibited PT SRL from operating until it had met all the obligations demanded of it. In other words, the company would only be allowed to start operating again once another decree had been issued by the minister lifting the license suspension.

“We have already reported this serious violation committed by PT SRL Block IV in Rupat Island, Riau Province, to the Director General of Law Enforcement at the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry,” Vanda Mutia Dewi, Executive Director of Greenomics Indonesia, told foresthints.news on Thursday (Mar 31).

Greenomics used USGS Landsat 8 images, dated 9 January 2016, 26 February 2016 and 13 March 2016 to indicate that acacia planted blocks continued to be harvested by the APRIL supplier during the period of license suspension in its pulpwood plantation concession.

Asked for his view on the matter by foresthints.news(Mar 31), the Director General of Law Enforcement at the Ministry, Rasio Ridho Sani, replied, “We need to make a field verification of the report. We’ll see what sanction, what punishment, just what can be done to PT SRL. However, as yet we have not decided on what sanctions will be imposed for this non-compliance.”

The Director General added that the field verification process would be used as the basis for taking legal action against the company.

“We could revoke their license or do something else. However, the main thing is we need to check in the field first,” Rasio said.

In the meantime, APRIL has stated that it has asked the accused supplier to carry out its own field verification. Furthermore, the giant pulp company continues to insist that all its suppliers must comply with APRIL's sustainability policy as well as Indonesia’s laws and regulations.

“We are waiting for the results of the field verification from our supplier,” said Agung Laksamana, APRIL's Director of Corporate Affairs (Apr 1).

Greenomics also said that it has submitted its report on the violations committed by PT SRL to the Chief of the Peat Restoration Agency, Nazir Foead, in consideration of the fact that the company’s concession suspension was due to its involvement in last year's peat fires.

Meanwhile, Greenpeace Indonesia also took exception to the actions of PT SRL. Its spokesperson, Yuyun Indradi, said that by continuing to operate by harvesting acacia planted blocks during the license suspension period, the APRIL supplier was in clear breach of the minister's decree.

"Seeing that the Environment and Forestry Ministry suspended PT SRL's operating license, of course it has to take legal action against the company for its violations,” Yuyun told foresthints.news on Friday (April 1).