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INDOFOOD AGRI RESOURCES LTD
SUSTAINABILITY REPORT 2014
REDUCE OUR
CHEMICAL FOOTPRINT
In Indonesia, the pressure for environmental protection is
heightened by limited land banks for agricultural expansion.
We have to constantly explore ways to use our land more
productively and to maximise crop yields..
It is common practice among agricultural companies to use
agrochemicals such as fertilisers and pesticides to improve
crop performance. IndoAgri only uses pesticides that are
approved by the Indonesian Department of Agriculture. Our
foremen and sprayers are trained by Komisi Pestisida, the
government agency overseeing the use of fertilisers and
pesticides, on the safe handling, administration and storage
of chemicals. They are also trained on the correct spraying
techniques and proper equipping of the Personal Protective
Equipment (PPE).
IndoAgri uses paraquat to control weed growth. As the World
Health Organisation (WHO) has listed paraquat as a Class 1
pesticide, we intend to phase out the use of paraquat by 2018.
PEST AND DISEASE CONTROL
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a broad
-
based approach
that integrates practices for economic control of pests while
reducing risks to human health and the environment. It
emphasises the growth of a healthy crop with the least possible
disruption to the agro
-
ecosystems and encourages natural pest
control mechanisms. IPM requires the regular monitoring of
pest population to prevent pest infestations.
Biological controls, with the minimal use of pesticides, are
the preferred method of pest management. Certain species
of flowering plants have been planted along the main roads
in the estates to provide natural habitats for predators of leaf
-
eating insects. Entomopathogenic viruses are used to control
caterpillar infestation.
Barn owls are used to keep the rat population in check on the
estates. We have been particularly successful in breeding barn
owls as a rodent control measure since 1997. No rodenticide
has been used in SIMP’s 57,000 hectares of Riau plantations
for more than 10 years. Each year, we breed about 10,000 new
birds via some 2,600 nest boxes scattered throughout the Riau
estates. In South Sumatra, around 2,100 new birds were bred in
2014. We plan to replicate the barn owl breeding programme in
our Kalimantan estates, and to progressively reduce the use of
rodenticides in all our plantations across Indonesia.
PRECISION AGRONOMY
Precision agronomy entails observing, measuring and
responding to the variability in crops while optimising
returns on inputs such as pesticides and fertilisers. To
realise the full advantage of precision agronomy, we
have developed Vision 30:30:25.
Each plantation is divided into smaller 30
-
hectare
plots, and we strive to achieve 30 tonnes of FFB per
hectare and a palm extraction rate of 25% during the
peak production phase of the plantation. This practice
of block
-
by
-
block analysis provides very detailed
recommendations on crop management, such as
planting densities, fertiliser and herbicide usage, yield
forecast and oil extraction rate.
Global positioning system, mobile tracking systems,
sensors and aerial surveillance photos are used to
map the yields and crop conditions for each plot. We
have implemented a SAP system that enabled us to
monitor the progress with real
-
time data support. The
combination of technologies provides a visual overview
of the plantation and allows our R&D teams to quickly
analyse factors affecting the crop performance. It
allows them to advise the operational teams on the
appropriate measures to achieve optimal yield for each
plot of land.
We also enhance land productivity by closing the gap
between potential and actual yield of the oil palm trees.
Field trials have proven that the seeds from Sumbio and
PT SAIN are able to attain the target results.
Pesticide Consumption
(Litre)
5,348
44,896
39,491
150,864
138,197
119,197
37,185
30,629
34,215
43,472
4,578
2012
2013
2014
Insecticides
Rodenticides
Fungicides
Herbicides including paraquat
4,136
The data is based on the RSPO certified/audited estates,which cover 34% of the
total oil palm estate.
