Orangutan Outreach Website - Saving the Orangutan

Source: http://jungaling.com/Malaysia/?p=199

His lithe frame at full stretch, an orang-utan attempts to spearfish in a river on Kaja Island, Borneo, mimicking what he has watched humans do.

Time and again he plunges his “spear” - a simple stick - into the murky water. When his exertions prove fruitless, he changes tack, using the implement to pull in nets, then making off with the fishermen’s catch.

Elsewhere on the island, an orang-utan plunges into the river, swimming to the opposite side to steal fruit. His extraordinary feat - orang-utans have only recently learned to swim - was captured by photographer Jay Ullal for Thinkers Of The Jungle, a grim examination of the plight of the hairy red ape.

But while the Indian photojournalist captured the images and German journalist Gerd Schuster penned the words, the man at the heart of this emotional journal is conservationist Dr Willie Smits.

In 1980, aged 23, Smits went to Indonesia where, over the next years, he became guardian to the orang-utans, which for millions of years existed in South-East Asia but now survive only on the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Sumatra.

The Dutchman formed Borneo Orangutan Survival International (BOS) in 1991. The organisation is credited with saving 1500 of the creatures, which face extinction because hunters prize them and illegal logging, climate change and fire have ravaged their habitat.

The United Nations Environment Program estimates that 98per cent of the natural rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo could be destroyed by 2022. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources expects that within three decades, the orang-utan could be categorised as extinct.

“In the animal kingdom, the orang-utans range among our closest relatives,” Smits says. “Genetically they are about 97per cent identical with us - they are highly intelligent, thoughtful and inventive.

“They possess culture and a sense of beauty and they take after us in facial expressions, gestures and in many other respects. They are far more ‘humane’ than human beings and, it seems, therefore, they are too good for this world.

“They are incredibly strong yet they don’t defend themselves against poachers or the logger gangs of the [palm oil] companies - and they are slaughtered without mercy.”

BOS has introduced satellite technology to track illegal loggers - a significant step towards preserving the orang-utan and its habitat. But it is not only the orang-utan which is endangered. The Dayak tribe, which lives around Kaja Island, is also fighting for its very existence, says tribal chief Sina Sinam.
“Today we are almost finished,” Sinam says. “The forest in which our people [have lived] since time immemorial has disappeared. The [BOS] gives us work … as they try to save the numerous homeless orang-utans wandering around aimlessly in the palm oil plantations. Three of my children [are] employed by the BOS. The work helps us very much and the BOS now protects some of our island.

“We used to hunt the orang-utans and cut off their heads to use for our rituals. Now we realise that the orang-utans and we are fellow sufferers. We too will not survive without the rainforest. We still hope that our gods will help us.”

Smits’s work equips him to bring the orang-utan’s plight to a global audience. His tales include that of a female orang-utan who stumbled from a burning forest with her child. She waited until a human drove by then remained deathly still as the man raced from the car, rescued her baby and drove away.

“Only when she saw her child was in the hands of humans did she turn around and clumsily go back into the smoke of the burning forest,” Smits says.

“I recalled a story from the Old Testament - the mother who loved her child and wanted to save it, so renounced it, just like the female orang-utan did.

“Please do not think now that apes are unable to estimate their situation realistically, because that would be completely wrong. Animals stricken by such catastrophe know exactly that their world is disintegrating and that there is no more chance for them.”  Willie Smits arrives in Australia tomorrow for a four-day book tour.

Source: Greenpeace 14th May 2008

You may have noticed that we had a quick win in our campaign to stop deforestation from palm oil a couple weeks back. Unilever made an announcement that they would support a moratorium to protect Indonesia’s rainforest from destruction just ten days after the launch of our campaign.

During our research we discovered that Unilever is the biggest buyer of palm oil, and it is used in several of their products like Dove soap, Persil and Flora. So we started targeting Dove with a cheeky campaign subverting their campaign for real beauty with Orang-utans on billboards, on flyers, online banners and on the Unilever’s headquarters in London and their factory in Liverpool.

Meanwhile, our active supporters went out on the streets and took well over a thousand photos of people sending their messages to Dove - you can see all the photos here. And many more of you joined in, submitting your own photos to our Flickr group and writing to Dove.

The agreement with Unilever is now starting to take shape, but this is just the first step in our campaign to get a moratorium on forest destruction in South East Asia in place within what we hope will be months.

Last Friday our big wigs met with Unilever’s big wigs and we put some flesh on the bones of this commitment. Unilever is supporting our call for a moratorium on the ground but even through they are the biggest buyer they represent only 3 per cent of the palm oil purchasers and the moratorium will need a lot more support from other companies before we see real change on the ground in Indonesia.

Unilever have agreed to take up the challenge by leading the way and building a coalition of allies to support a moratorium and put pressure on their suppliers in Indonesia to agree to a moratorium on further destruction of rainforests for palm oil. This includes them lobbying all the major players in the industry like Kraft, Nestle, Proctor & Gamble and Cadburys. They also agreed to put substantial pressure on their suppliers in Indonesia to stop destroying rainforests.

This is a really big first step and we’re pretty chuffed, and while it won’t be as glamorous as the campaign for real rainforests, we now have a lot of work ahead to make sure that Unilever holds up their end of the agreement and together we get more companies on side and get a moratorium in place.

Over the coming months we will be meeting with companies and lobbying them to support the moratorium alongside Unilever. This coalition of influential players in the palm oil industry is key to getting a moratorium in place as soon as possible to stop deforestation and the release of greenhouse gases that fuel climate change.

And there is no time celebrate (ok, well we did just a little) - next week campaigners will be speaking at the World Palm Oil Summit in Jakarta to talk about the need for a moratorium with buyers and suppliers. And we will also be speaking at an investment seminar on palm oil in London in June with F&C Asset Management and McDonalds.

We will do our best to keep you posted, but because of the nature of many of these meetings we will have to keep a pretty closed lip. We will also let you know if we need your help again in the future to put pressure on any companies that may need a bit of an incentive to support the moratorium. In the meantime you can join Greenpeace to help our ongoing work.

Thank you for all your help and support so far, it has been an incredible response for the first step in this campaign to save Indonesia’s rainforests.

Source: Rainforest Action Network

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - May 12 - Rainforest Action Network and ForestEthics today condemned a proposal by U.S.-based International Paper to build a pulp mill and establish 1.2 million acres of plantation forest in the heart of the Indonesian rainforest. The groups urged International Paper, which is holding its Annual General Meeting today, to not violate its own paper policy and to abandon its plans to expand into Indonesia, a global warming and biodiversity hot spot. The policy,[1] announced in 2003, states: “International Paper will not procure or use wood that originates in biological hotspots or endangered, native forests in Indonesia or other parts of the world designated by Conservation International, as biodiversity hotspots or major tropical wilderness areas. We will assure that any wood procured from within the boundaries of these special areas comes solely from plantations and that our procurement practices do not jeopardize the ecological integrity of these hotspots.”

“Most Indonesian wood is either harvested illegally or taken without consent from the country’s Indigenous peoples,” said Brant Olson, director of Rainforest Action Network’s Old Growth Campaign. “A move by International Paper to break its own commitment by sourcing from Indonesia would be a major setback for the climate, biodiversity, and Indonesia’s forest communities.”

International Paper is among the world’s biggest pulp and paper producers. In 2003, it joined home builder Centex Homes and home improvement retailer Lanoga in announcing it would stop buying Indonesian wood products until the Indonesian government sufficiently addressed illegal logging within its borders and respected the property rights of its Indigenous populations. Since then, logging practices have further deteriorated, Indonesia’s small farmers and Indigenous groups continue to be pushed off their traditional lands, and the country’s carbon-rich forests and peatlands are disappearing at the alarming rate of more than 2.8 million hectares a year. Major environment groups in Indonesia are calling for a moratorium on any expansion of the pulp and paper industry or further forest conversion, due to its enormous social and environmental impacts. Recent research indicates that deforestation in Indonesia is happening at a faster rate than anywhere else on earth, a trend that has catapulted the nation into its current position as the world’s 3rd largest carbon dioxide emitter.

“Each year, deforestation in Indonesia accounts for more emissions than all the cars, planes, buses and trucks in the U.S. combined – and much of this can be tied back to forest conversion and the pulp and paper industry,” said Lafcadio Cortesi of ForestEthics. “It’s imperative that IP publicly reject any proposals for expansion into Indonesia given the current problems with the industry, illegal logging, and the impacts of deforestation on the climate and unique ecosystems of Indonesia.”

[1] International Paper Policy on Indonesian Wood, September 2002

International Animal Rescue - May 9, 2008

Forestry officials in Indonesia have revealed they are working with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) to improve conservation efforts in the country.

The Jakarta Post reported that the two agencies would work together to set up more model conservation villages around protected forests and nature preserves.

Forestry minister M S Ka’ban, explained to the paper: “Through the conservation villages project, we hope local people will help us to preserve forests.”

It is hoped that the villages will help protect wildlife habitats through reductions in pollution and deforestation.

The ministry’s director general of forest preservation added that it was vital those living near areas where rare animals were found were given the right information about conservation.

“As a start, we must give people who live nearby the protected areas the correct information about forest preservation so as to maximise the benefits through conservation,” the spokesperson told the paper.

“People must understand they will gain greater access to clean water through environment preservation.”

Alan Knight, chief executive of charity International Animal Rescue, which runs a primate rehabilitation centre in Indonesia, said: “We welcome the news of this new conservation initiative. Experience has shown us that it is vital to enlist the cooperation of local people if we are to have any success in protecting and preserving endangered wildlife.

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Bogor

Palm oil companies operating in Indonesia pledged to stop expanding plantations into forests in response to growing global criticism about deforestation and to promote more sustainable products.

Executive director of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI), Didiek Hadjar Goenadi, said here Monday palm oil companies would focus on utilizing idle land, including former forest concession areas, to maintain Indonesia as the world’s largest crude palm oil producer.

“We realize the environmental impacts by opening all our forests so we will stop touching the forest and just concentrate on abundant lands which have not been cultivated yet,” Didiek told reporters during a break in a a seminar on climate change, agriculture and trade.

There are currently 6.7 million hectares of oil palm plantations in the country — half belonging to private firms, while the rest are operated by small-scale farmers. Only about 600,000 hectares are managed by state-owned enterprises.

Didiek estimated there were about seven million hectares of idle land across the country that could be used to plant oil palms or rubber trees.

He said the association’s members had applied the so-called roundtable on sustainable palm oil (RSOP), an international initiative promoting sustainability up and down the palm oil supply chain.

“But since many oil palm plantations are operated by farmers, many of them are still unaware about the RSOP regulations. It is the government’s task to educate them,” he said.

Indonesia’s crude palm oil production reached its highest-ever level of 17.2 million tons last year, passing Malaysia, which produced 16 million tons.

Environmental activists have stepped up protests against the country’s palm oil companies, accusing the firms of expanding their operations by clearing formerly forested land. The activists say the expansion, including in peatland forests, has killed thousands of orangutans and resulted in huge amounts of greenhouse gas emissions.

Didiek said the palm oil business in Indonesia dated back more than 150 years.

“There have been standard operating procedures in implementing good agriculture procedures since the Dutch period,” he said.

“However, the booming of the commodity encourages the new planters to neglect these standard. This is the main cause of why land burning has become extensive and erosion has taken place.”

Didiek said demand for crude palm oil had accelerated with the rising popularity of biofuels in developed nations to substitute for fossil fuels. He also called on the country’s oil palm producers to do more for the environment and people’s welfare.

“Conflict between food and fuels must be ended by taking all necessary actions to minimize negative impacts both to the local people and the international community,” he said.

http://old.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20080513.A07&irec=6

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) questioned lawmakers Wowo Ibrahim of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and Syarfi Hutauruk of the Golkar Party on Monday, both members of the House of Representatives’ Commission IV overseeing forestry and agriculture.

The graft body also grilled South Sumatra Public Works Agency head Dharma Dahlan.

The KPK previously named lawmakers Al Amin Nasution of the United Development Party (PPP) and Sarjan Taher of the Democratic Party, also members of Commission IV, as suspects in a bribery case. The two have been charged with accepting bribes to facilitate forest conversion approvals in Bintan, Riau Islands, and Banyuasin, South Sumatra, respectively.

Environmental activists said they expected the KPK’s forest conversion investigation would not stop with Al Amin and Sarjan.

“Illegal land conversion has been going on for a long time in the country. A strong approach to law enforcement is really needed, especially since more than 50 million hectares of forest are severely damaged,” said Elfian Effendi, executive director of environmental group Greenomics.

The current land conversion procedure enables corruption, he said.

The procedure generally requires any land conversion request to be recommended by the regional administration to the Forestry Minister. The minister requires approval from Commission IV before issuing a ministerial decree concerning the conversion.

KPK deputy head of prevention, Mohammad Jasin, said Monday the commission plans to study the current conversion procedure to look for any flaws that could lead to corruption.

Forestry Minister Malam Sambat Ka’ban said all approvals of land conversions were legitimate and KPK should not meddle in the legal decisions.

The minister’s claim has drawn criticism from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi).

“A ministerial decree is not the correct legal basis for a forest conversion. Under the law, the approvals should be made by government regulation,” said Rully Syumandra, a Walhi campaigner.

Article 19 of the Forestry Law states the procedure for converting a forest’s function and use should be based on a government regulation.

Rully said he hoped the KPK’s current investigation into corruption in the forest conversion process would help save more than 120 million hectares of rain forest in Indonesia, the world’s third-largest forestry country.

“If we can’t do it through an ecological approach, maybe a corruption investigation will do,” he said.

Source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/node/168812

JAKARTA, May 12 Asia Pulse - The expansion of oil palm plantations in the regency of Kapuas Hulu in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan has crossed the border into protected forests, the semi official news agency Antara reported.

Expansion has entered the 200,000 hectare Heart Of Borneo, which has been agreed to be preserved between three neighboring countries Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, said Haryono, the coordinator for forest Communication Issue of the World Wide Fund for Nature in West Kalimantan.

Nine subsidiaries of the Sinar Mas Group are believed to be involved in clearing 160,000 hectares of forests bordering the Betung Karihun National Park, Haryono said.

Kapuas Hulu has 1.63 million hectares of protected forests and National Parks.

By the end of 2007, West Kalimantan has 400,000 hectares of planted oil palm plantations said.

Source: http://au.biz.yahoo.com/080512/17/1ql4y.html

A German-Indonesian radio project tries to make forest conservation more popular
By Anett Keller

Indonesia, the host of the climate summit in December, has a poor environmental record. An area of forest the size of five football fields is destroyed every minute in the country. The slashing and burning of its rainforests places the country among the world’s biggest carbon dioxide polluters.

The United Nations could not have found a more fitting place for the climate summit than Indonesia. In this land of more than 13,000 islands, tropical rainforest is disappearing faster than anywhere else on Earth. Indonesia has lost four million hectares of forest in the past 25 years – that is 60 percent of the country’s total.

The trees are used to make cheap plywood, weatherproof garden furniture, glossy magazines and toilet paper. Increasingly more of the land is converted into plantations to feed the growing hunger for bio-fuels made from palm oil. The slashing and burning of Indonesia’s jungles has dramatic consequences for the world climate: their layers of humus –many meters thick – bind carbon.

For Germany’s international broadcaster Deutsche Welle and its Indonesian language radio department, that was a good reason to raise awareness of the problem in the country itself. “The whole world is watching the big event in Bali,” said Hendra Pasuhuk, the program director. “But for many Indonesians, the destruction of the forests and the consequences for the environment are not the least bit important.”

Radio was the ideal medium with which to draw attention to the problem, as it is the most popular form of media in Indonesia. Along with the Indonesian partner station Radio KBR68H, and with support from the German Development Ministry, the forest conservation project went into action.

First, Indonesian radio journalists were called upon to work out an abstract on the subject of conservation. “It was important to us to get people who (themselves) came from the affected regions and were not reporting from the distant capital,” Pasuhuk said. Ten journalists from five provinces took part in a weeklong workshop in Jakarta at the end of October. They gained valuable input from environmentalists and forestry ministry officials. At the same time, they were supposed to turn their ideas into plans, which they could use as a basis for about 10 days of research in their regions – accompanied by a colleague from Deutsche Welle. The aim of the project was to make a feature series of 10-minute reports to broadcast on about 400 local radio stations during the climate summit.

For the journalists involved, it was a rare opportunity to do some solid on-the-spot research – something their limited resources usually don’t allow, says Ade Wahyudi, program manager at KBR68H. “In the provinces in particular, journalists don’t have the technical or the financial capacity for fact-finding trips,” he said, adding that the complex topic of forest conservation can best be communicated to listeners when presented in a lively way and told from the perspective of those affected.

The project yielded some interesting results. Some of the journalists went to the island of Kalimantan, looking for Sebuku elephants. Only a few dozen of them have survived the destruction of their habitat in the forests of East Kalimantan. In eastern Java, project members found a village where every single resident earns a living from illegal logging. Not even the police dare to go there.

Another team went to Poso and Palu in central Sulawesi, places famous for the black wood of the ebony tree. Officially, ebony is protected and the trees must not be felled. But the violent conflict in the region makes the rules hard to enforce and prevents reforestation programs.

The decades-long conflict in Papua between the local population and the central government with its huge army presence has also had an impact on the environment. The military, foreign companies, local officials – there are many different parties earning money in the timber trade.

Journalists dealing with the subject must navigate murky waters. “I received some phone calls where I felt threatened,” said Edith Koesoemawiria, a Deutsche Welle journalist. “And one time a man no one knew turned up and made it clear to me that I was not to report on logging.” She and her two local colleagues were investigating the situation in Papua. They reported on the problems in implementing reforestation programs. They visited villagers who cut down the huge
trees in their forests and sell the trunks to logging companies, just to feed their families – even though their area has been declared a nature reserve.

Although she was shocked by the degree of environmental destruction she found, Koesoemawiria is enthusiastic about the project. She says far too little is known in Indonesia about the long-term effects of cutting down the rainforests. “People do know that there are mudslides when the trees have been cut down,” she said. “But hardly anyone realizes that the destruction of the forests has a negative impact on the climate.” She admits it is difficult to bring about a sustained new awareness. But for that very reason, she says, you can’t report on the dangers of destroying the rainforest too often.

The reports have been airing since Nov. 26. Partner stations across Indonesia have been broadcasting them. And the reports are even going out beyond the national borders. The “Asia Calling” program on KBR68H is rebroadcast by many stations in other Asian countries, in English and the national languages.

Source: http://spreadthehopes.blogspot.com/2008/05/defending-nature-with-microphone-and.html

Source: The Asia Pacific Times Online, May 2008

Sounding environmentally friendly, the country’s president still allows open pit mining in protected forests

By Moritz Kleine-Brockhoff

Indonesia’s rain forest is the world’s second-largest carbon dioxide sink but it’s being rapidly destroyed. At a time when the price of raw materials is climbing steeply, the government regards protecting its investors as more important than protecting its forests. That’s although donor countries such as Germany just approved millions to help Indonesia protect its forests.

Our president had the power to stop mining in protected forests,” said Rully Symanda of Indonesia’s environmental protection alliance WALHI. “He did not. Nice speeches are followed by contradictory policy, influenced by the powerful mining lobby.” Symanda was still optimistic in December, because Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had given a wonderful speech then at the climate summit in Bali. “We are gathered here to fulfill the hopes of over six billion people,” Yudhoyono said. “Every nation must become part of the solution, not part of the problem.”

After Brazil, Indonesia has the world’s second-largest rain forest. Deforestation releases carbon dioxide, accounting for one-fourth of the global rise in the concentration of greenhouse gases. Therefore, making forests disappear is the second deadly sin against the Earth’s climate following the burning of fossil fuels. “Forests are our only option for carbon sinks,” Yudhoyono said to enthusiastic applause. “Those blessed with forests must do all they can to preserve and expand their forest cover.” Yet, only two months later, and away from the public eye, Yudhoyono allowed 13 firms to continue open pit mining in protected forests.

Yudhoyono’s Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro even told potential investors that, “We need a decree to include all mining firms. We will allow you to mine in productive and protected forests.” Yusgiantoro also announced a new policy. Earlier, companies that cut down trees and extracted natural resources had to plant trees elsewhere to compensate. Now a little money paid to the state is enough compensation – at about €150 for a hectare of destroyed rain forest. “Indonesian forests for sale: How low can we go,” asked Stevie Emilia, a commentator for the Jakarta Post newspaper. “Indonesia should be ashamed of itself,” said Siti Maemunah of the Mining Advocacy Network, a conservation group.

Environmental protection is regarded as a luxury in Indonesia. In a country where 120 million people, half the population, survive on less than $2 (€1.30) a day, economic development is the real priority. Trees are felled to make way for plantations, timber is exported or vanishes into the paper mills. Every year, in a sad world record, an area larger than Cyprus is cleared.

Still, there is good news. Deforestation rates have slowed, and in some places those who fell trees illegally are even being prosecuted. A total of 120 million hectares still stand, an area about the size of South Africa. Some parts of Indonesia have been declared nature preserves, and according to a 1999 law, open pit mining is actually forbidden there. But that ban was loosened in 2004 by then-president Megawati Sukarnoputri. She permitted 13 companies that had been granted mining concessions in protected forest areas before 1999 to continue operating there. Yudhoyono therefore defends his most recent decree with the argument that he simply extended an older decision by his predecessor, and that it applied only to the 13 companies already established in the area. These include mining giants like Freeport-McMoRan, a U.S. conglomerate that runs the largest gold mine in the world in the Papua province. The company is also Indonesia’s biggest taxpayer.

To be sure, Yudhoyono’s decree does not permit any new environmental degradation. In addition, the scope of logging necessary for mining operations is relatively small, compared to the needs of oil palm plantations. But environmental activist Rully Symanda sees a dire political sign in the decree and fears worse to come. “We expect a second decree in May that will, as announced by Minister Yusgiantoro, legalize additional open pit mining in the forests,” he said.

The debate in Indonesia has attracted little international attention. “I haven’t heard about it,” said the UN’s climate delegate Yvo de Boer in April while participating in the climate talks in Bangkok. A spokesperson for Germany’s Development and Cooperation Ministry (BMZ) said, “We are checking the available information.”

Forest protection is an important and sensitive topic in Berlin. The federal government had agreed in the past to provide €40 million to support Indonesia’s efforts at sustainable forest management and development, and projects have been carried out since the 1970s. But Berlin halted its support in 2001, citing in one of its reports “inadequate prosecution of those who commit offenses against the environment, threats against activists and journalists and the involvement of security forces in forest exploitation.”

Now that climate protection has grown in importance internationally, Germany wants to cooperate with Indonesia again. “With the world’s second-largest rain forest, the country is a partner one cannot ignore in helping to protect the climate,” the BMZ declared. At last years bilateral development talks, Germany and Indonesia entered into a strategic development partnership in climate protection. Berlin promised Jakarta an additional €49 million, more than half of it earmarked for forest protection projects and the remainder as co-financing for a national climate action plan. Germany is also contributing €10 million to the World Bank’s Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. Poorer countries are to receive money for leaving their forests standing. “We must not lose another day when it comes to climate and forest protection,” German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul said in Bali.

Does it irritate Berlin that Jakarta continues to permit mining in protected forests? “It is still too early to judge the plans of the Indonesian government,” a BMZ spokesperson cautiously said. Meanwhile, President Yudhoyono continues to make strong statements: “Climate change is a defining issue of our era,” he recently wrote in the International Herald Tribune, adding that, “Today’s leaders will be remembered by their actions on this issue.”

KUALA LUMPUR, May 12, 2008 (AsiaPulse via COMTEX) — – Sitt Tatt Berhad (KLSE:4359) on Friday said its wholly-owned unit, STB Technologies Pte Ltd, has teamed up with Crestino International Limited to build and operate palm oil mills in Indonesia.

On May 9, STB Technologies signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Crestino to participate in the project by investing RM20.0 million.

The sum will be paid to Ithmaar Development Company Limited (IDC) to enable Crestino to fulfill the pre-condition for the approval in principle by IDC to finance the business, Sitt Tatt said in a statement to Bursa Malaysia on May 9.

On 25 May 2007, Crestino was awarded the rights to construct and manage 100 palm oil mills in Indonesia by PT Permodalan Nasional Madani Techno Venture (PNMTV).

PT Palm Mill Indo (PMI), which is 100 per cent owned by Crestino, was established in Indonesia to oversee the management of the palm oil mills.

PMI has entered into agreements with cooperative societies in Indonesia for the supply of fresh fruit bunches (FFB).

Crestino will establish a marketing/trading company in Singapore to handle the marketing and trading of the final products of the palm oil mills, the statement said.

Sitt Tatt said the investment in the project will provide the STB Group with the opportunity to participate in palm oil milling and related businesses in Indonesia, which offers growth prospects.

It also enables the group to substantially broaden its income base beyond its current manufacturing operations in Malaysia and Singapore and provide a steady income stream to the group.

Source: http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/1536275/