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The Reasons Why Many Companies in Other Countries Do not Purchase Palm Oil from Astra Agro



Foto by Aceng Sofian/Sawitfest2021
The Reasons Why Many Companies in Other Countries Do not Purchase Palm Oil from Astra Agro

InfoSAWIT, JAKARTA – Prior Forest and Plantation Campaign Manager of Wahana Lingkungan Hidup Indonesia (Walhi), Uli Arta Siagian said that some companies in other countries stopped purchasing palm oil from Astra Agro Lestari (AAL) because of the report of Walhi, and United States’ Friends of the Earth (FoE) in March 2022 which documented how three subsidiaries of the company did violation.

The three subsidiaries of AAL, as she continued, were PT Mamuang, PT Lertari Tani Teladan, and PT Agro Nusa Abadi (ANA). PT ANA in North Morowali. Boru Siagian thought, has been operating for the past 15 years without having business rights and does criminal to eight smallholders by accusing them to steal fresh fruit bunch in the region.

“Of many issues, we (Walhi and FoE) asked for the company’s responsibility as the sector that got advantages from AAL operational that violated human rights. Since last year to this day, there have been eight big companies in many countries, stop purchasing palm oil supply chain from AAL. PepsiCo just stopped not to purchase it in the past two weeks,” Boru Siagian told, as InfoSAWIT quoted from VOA Indonesia.

Though there has been decision, AAL never tries to solve the case well. She thought, the areas (land) that were taken from the smallholders (farmers) were never returned. The rivers are now broken from the company’s operational. The rivers are not improved. The government, as long as boru Siagian knew, never does action or deliver sanction to the subsidiaries of AAL.

“If the country for all these years, told that we did negative campaigns to palm oil, we delivered facts that these are not negative ones but the facts showed, the companies are in trouble. Actually, our country should show its commitment, improve palm oil governance. But until now, we never see any improvement,” Boru Siagian told. (T2)


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