We refer to the decision by Indonesia’s Supreme Court to uphold the fine imposed on PT Rambang Agro Jaya (PT RAJ), an indirect subsidiary of KULIM operating in South Sumatera, for forest fires that occurred in 2018.

KULIM respects the decision made by the Supreme Court and will continue to strive to enhance our commitment to the operating standards of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) throughout our Group. KULIM is a founding member of the RSPO.

Since 2018, PT RAJ has taken proactive actions to protect its estates from such fires including conducting 24-hour monitoring from 27 fire towers throughout the estate. It is also constructing new monitoring towers, water catchment ponds and ditch parameters, and building new roads and water lines for fire-prone areas. It has also added more fire extinguishers and fire prevention equipment to the estates.

PT RAJ is also collaborating with the locals under the “Masyarakat Peduli Api” programme to conduct regular patrolling in the fire-prone areas and work very closely with the government agency “Mangala Agni” to issue certificates for all workers that have undergone firefighting training. Mangala Agni also assists the estate in firefighting and other related matters. As a result, the estate has also established the “Tim Kesiapsiagaan Tanggap Darurat”, an emergency response team involving 60 workers of the estate who will respond swiftly to any potential bush fire.