Blog: Press Releases Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food launches two new volumes of its children’s storybook – Rumbun and Jungle Friends – to promote fire prevention education in schools

Riau, 31 August 2022 – Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food launched the second and third volume of its children’s storybook – Rumbun and Jungle Friends – in Siak (Riau province) today, as a part of its long-term community-based fire management programme, Desa Makmur Peduli Api (DMPA). These storybooks serve as a powerful learning tool for teachers to educate elementary and junior high school students about the importance of preventing forest fires, and preserving peatlands.

In the coming months, around 7,500 copies of these new volumes will be distributed among children, teachers and the community that live within the fire-prone areas around the company’s plantation.

Septianus Harianja, Vice President Agronomy, Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food, says,“The company’s fire mitigation efforts include focusing on long-term solutions to prevent forest fires in and around our concessions. Our children are our future, and an early education about forests and land fire prevention is important. By working with the community schools and their teachers, we hope to foster students’ understanding of forest fires, their impact on the ecosystem, and proactive prevention measures that can start from a young age.”

As a part of the company’s multi-stakeholder approach in preventing forest and land fires, we have partnered with Manggala Agni, also known as the Forest and Land Fire Control Brigade, under the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, to strengthen our team’s fire prevention capabilities.

Edwin Putra, S.Hut, M.Si, Regional Coordinator, Manggala Agni in Riau Province says,“Our mission is to raise public awareness about the negative impact of fires, both on the forest’s resources and on our community. Through this initiative, the young generation will gain a better understanding of forest fires and will be encouraged to advocate responsible practices related to fire prevention and control.”

The first volume of this storybook was launched in and around the company’s operational areas that were most prone to fires. Working closely with the local education office and teachers, the storybook provided elementary school children with easy-to-understand information about forest fires and preventative measures. Around 6,000 storybooks were distributed across schools in fire-prone areas such as Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua. Following the successful launch of the first volume in 2020, the two new volumes introduce children to the teams that are involved in fire management and prevention, the tools and equipment used,  and the importance of safeguarding peatlands.

Taking a holistic approach to fire management and prevention
Indonesia’s forest and peat fires are one of the country’s most persistent environmental issues. As a leading sustainable agribusiness with plantations across the country, Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food is committed to operating responsibly to protect the environment and ecosystem that are crucial to local communities and the business.

In 2016, Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food launched the DMPA, which includes a wide range of initiatives designed to prevent and manage fires, including the deployment of more than 10,000 Emergency Response Personnel across our plantations.

Under the DMPA programme, the company collaborates with the community in order to build the capacity and capability to manage and prevent fires, through training in fire prevention, providing basic firefighting infrastructure, and establishing early-warning processes to deal with the risk of fires. Currently, 90 villages from across Jambi, Riau, South Sumatra, Lampung, Bangka Belitung, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan have enrolled in the programme.

In 2021, 99.97 percent of our area under Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) has remained fire-free. This is due to our strict adherence to our Zero Burning Policy.

 “Prevention always begins with education. These storybooks are excellent resources that encourage our students to take personal responsibility and act as change agents in order to prevent, prepare and protect our environment from forest and land fires. The children are excited to read the storybooks and share their learning with others,” explains Diky Ardianto, a teacher in SMP Negeri 6 Kandis, Riau.

For more information on Sinar Mas Agribusiness and Food’s fire prevention programme, please visit: https://www.smart-tbk.com/fire-prevention/

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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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