Blog: Press Releases To Prevent Forest and Land Fire, Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food Created GeoSMART App

Wednesday, October 5, 2022 – Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food created the GeoSMART Fire-Hotspot Monitoring Site (GSF) digital application as an early detection method for forest and land fires. Potential fire hotspots can now be detected three times faster than before using this app. This app is part of our company’s integrated approach to deal with forest and land fires.

GeoSMART was created last year and has been in use since the beginning of 2022. GeoSMART app system can detect fire hotspots up to two kilometers away outside the company’s concession area by utilizing NOAA, VIIRS, SUOMI, and MODIS satellite technology, which can be accessed automatically from SiPongi-KLHK or LAPAN sites.

According to Achmad Supriyanto, Head of Fire & Peat Management at Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food, GeoSMART advantages include not only its wide coverage, but also its speed of receiving and processing hotspots detection signals. The speed of receiving information has a significant impact on efforts to prevent forest and land fires.

“Previously, without the GeoSMART app, we used to receive new hotspot signals once every 12 hours, or twice a day. After using the GeoSMART app, we could receive new hotspot signals once every four hours, or six times a day. This kind of efficiency also makes the Emergency Response Team’s respond faster,” said Supriyanto.

He explained that when the Emergency Response Preparedness Team (KTD) receives a hotspot detection signal, they will immediately download the information and head to the pointed coordinates to do verification. If there is a fire, a quick response will be given immediately. Furthermore, the verification results and/or documents for forest and land fire handling processes will be uploaded back into the GeoSMART app, so a complete records and documents database can be obtained.

The GeoSMART app is not the only effort that Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food has made in order to prevent forest and land fires. An integrated management system to prevent and handle forest and land fires includes preventive measures, precaution measures, warning systems and early detection, rapid response to land fires, and post-land fire handling.

As part of our preventive efforts, Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food periodically performs socialization and early education relating to forest and land fires anticipation, both for employees and communities, as well as for elementary and junior high school students. These socialization and education effort include encouraging the community to implement an eco-friendly agricultural system that requires no burning. We hoped that this would reduce the likelihood of forest and land fires.

Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food also took precaution measures to deal with forest and land fires. These measures include the establishment of Emergency Response Preparedness Team (KTD), the enhancement of their skills and capacities, the provisions of fire fighting facilities and infrastructures in accordance with regulatory standards, and the improvement of water management systems, particularly on peatlands.

According to Supriyanto, all of these efforts are also equipped with a fast and accurate warning and early detection system. Making fire hazard maps, a fire hazard rating system (SPBK), monitoring fire towers, and tactical detection through patrol activities, are all effective measures to prevent fires from occurring in the Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food concession area.

“Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food also collaborates with all stakeholders to increase the success rate of preventing forest and land fires,” Supriyanto added. This collaboration involves government officials, TNI, Polri, Manggala, Agni, and members of the public. Integrated patrols, the Desa Makmur Peduli Api activities, and the development of Integrated Ecological Agriculture with an emphasis on environmental sustainability, are some of the programs that are frequently carried out together.

“As in previous years, every area of the company’s operations has implemented company policies related to forest and land fire prevention.” We are constantly striving for improvement, one of which is the development of the GeoSMART application. “All of this is being done to prevent forest and land fires in the company’s concession area and its surroundings,” Supriyanto explained.

About Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food
Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food operates under Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) is one of the leading palm oil plantation companies with a total planted area of 537,720 hectares (including plasma smallholders) as of 30 June 2022. It has integrated operations focused on the technology-driven production and distribution of an extensive portfolio of palm-based products.

Founded in 1996, GAR was listed on the Singapore Exchange in 1999 and has a market capitalisation of US$2.3 billion as of 30 June 2022. Flambo International Limited, an investment company, is GAR’s largest shareholder, with a 50.56 percent stake. In addition, GAR has several subsidiaries, including PT SMART Tbk, which was listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 1992.

As an integrated agribusiness, GAR delivers an efficient end-to-end supply chain, from responsible production to global delivery. In Indonesia, its primary activities include cultivating and harvesting oil palm trees; the processing of fresh fruit bunch into crude palm oil (CPO) and palm kernel; refining CPO into value-added products such as cooking oil, margarine, shortening, biodiesel and oleo-chemicals; as well as merchandising palm products globally. GAR’s products are delivered to a diversified customer base in approximately 100 countries through its global distribution network with shipping and logistics capabilities, destination marketing, on-shore refining and ex-tank operations. GAR also has complementary businesses such as soybean-based products in China, sunflower-based products in India, and sugar businesses.

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