RIAU: Greenpeace has released a report claiming that palm oil giant, Wilmar International, was sourcing its oil from illegally-cleared land in Indonesia.
The report accuses the Singapore-based company of contributing to deforestation and destroying the habitat of numerous animals, including the critically-endangered Sumatran tiger.
Hundreds of hectares of palm oil plantations occupy Rokan Hilir district on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
The area was ground zero for the peat land fires in June and July, which created haze that blanketed Singapore and parts of Malaysia.
Palm oil farmer Ayub said: “When I saw the land burning, it was like a sea of fire. Smoke was everywhere and daily activities stopped completely. Many people suffered from cough and fever because the land didn't stop smouldering. There was no rain."
According to the coordinates on GPS, the land is owned by PT Jatim Jaya Perkasa, a palm oil company that supplies Wilmar International.
During the height of the haze, back in June and July, authorities detected 74 hotspots burning in the area alone. It took around two months for the fire and the smoke to be put out.
Local witnesses are saying they have begun to see excavators coming into the land to clear burnt debris before replanting.
Singapore-based Wilmar International supplies more than a third of the world's palm oil.
According to documents obtained by Greenpeace, PT Jatim Jaya Perkasa - which belongs to the Ganda Group - continued supplying palm oil to Wilmar, even at the height of the haze.
Indonesian officials said most of the fires had been deliberately started to clear forested land.
Wilmar denies suggestions that its supplier deliberately started the fires, saying it is more likely that they were ignited by surrounding flames.
Zamzami from Greenpeace Indonesia said: "Publicly, Wilmar made a strong commitment to have a zero-burning policy and that they will revoke any company that supplies palm oil from the company that found forest fires, but up until now we have not heard the actual action that they do on the field."
Channel NewsAsia contacted Wilmar's office in Jakarta for a response to the Greenpeace accusations, but the company has not replied.
A spokesperson from Wilmar has been quoted as saying the company was reviewing its business practices, including its sourcing policy.
It also said any supplier trying to sell illegally-grown fruit would be "dropped altogether".
- CNA/xq
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/greenpeace-alleges-s-pore/857694.html
