PALMOILMAGAZINE, JAKARTA – As one biggest integrated palm oil company in the world, Musim Mas really emphasized to be aware of and preparing every risk potential of fire in the forests and areas in its operational and its supply chain. After the company knows and understand that it is important to support the government, Musim Mas’ Integrated Fire Prevention and Control Program was socialized and implemented for every workers and labors involved in its operational, and expanded for the suppliers, people around, and also independent smallholders.
“Palm oil industries, including Musim Mas would learn from the fire and smoke incident some time ago. The accident motivated us to take action and escalate our contribution to prevent and control fire in the forest and areas through many programs and collaboration with other stakeholders,” General Manager Corporate Affairs – Musim Mas Group, Teuku Kanna Rhamdan said, as in the official statement to Palmoilmagazine.com recently.
To anticipate the fire, from June 2023, Musim Mas has been training and doing simulation regularly. It was joined by Musim Mas’ Firefighter team and Masyarakat Bebas Api (MBA) to prevent and control the fire. The training also involves Manggala Agni, army, police, environment agency, and plantation agency. Musim Mas’ Firefighter team that got training and preparation would extinguish fire not only in the concession areas but out of concession areas in 3 (three) kilometer radius.
Also Read : Mitigating Forest and Area Fire Risks
For the local people around the company’s plantations, Musim Mas runs Masyarakat Bebas Api (MBA) program that involves 75 villages that laid about more than 450 thousand hectares. The program started from the awareness that it is important for the villagers to change their behavior or get alternatives to reduce dependence of fire use and involve the villagers to prevent and control the fire in the forests and areas.
In the program every village that participates in the program and successfully maintains their environment free from the fire for one year, would get financial incentive about Rp 25 million per village. The fund could be used to provide fire extinguishers in the village or to support other villagers’ projects around the company.
“We do realize that the active roles of the villagers would be significant and needed the most. That is why we are in cooperation with the (regional) governments and other stakeholders to run every program that involves the villagers while hoping that they could be the agents of chance to prevent and control the fire,” Kanna said.
Meanwhile, Head of Emergency and Logistics Regional Disaster Management Agency District of Pelalawan Riau Province, Sannusi said that the impacts of the fire in the forests and areas would be massive, starting from the economy, social, and politics.
“That is why the ideal one is that fire controlling and prevention should not be done by the (regional) governments only but also it involves companies, army, police, local people, and other stakeholders,” Sannusi said. (T2)
