It’s not every day that we can see a large industrial corporation actually making an effort to improve the life and prosperity of the communities they operate in. This, however, is precisely what Asian Agri – one of the companies operating under the RGE group of companies – has managed to achieve.
Asian Agri is well-known in Indonesia, not only as the largest business to handle the local palm oil industry and one of the most important and active promoters of sustainable solutions, but also for its remarkable contributions geared towards helping local smallholder farmers.
Committed to Help
Asian Agri is quite possibly the best example of how the three-fold principle adopted by RGE companies under the leadership of famed entrepreneur and philanthropist, Sukanto Tanoto, can work in the business world at a large scale.
Far from competing with local smallholders, the company has been offering its full support for more than 25 years, helping farmers to gain a better practical understanding of the palm oil industry, as well as the planting and safety practices required to produce higher yields while reducing the risk of forest fires and other challenges that could threaten the integrity of a sustainable plantation industry.
According to Asian Agri representatives, the smallholders in the community cannot be separated from the industry itself and, through a philosophy that enables the company to work together with them, it is possible to not only increase the profit of the company itself, but also help farmers improve their own practices. This way, the smallholders can gain a better income, provide more opportunities for their families and children, and gradually contribute to the economic and infrastructural development of their entire area.
Capacity-Building Programs
Asian Agri has once again proven its dedication towards local smallholders through its new and improved capacity-building programs. These training programs are geared toward providing farmers with both the knowledge and resources required for managing their farms, involving anything from planting palm oil trees, to taking care of any other aspect of life on a farm, such as tending to livestock and planting crops.
Educational information is provided to farmers and smallholders who want to know more about sustainable solutions geared towards improving their practices and essentially increasing their incomes. This initiative has been commended by numerous farmers, since they not only have the possibility to help themselves and the community, but also to improve the country’s economy as a whole.
The programs set forth by Asian Agri are expected to bring a possibility for increased income to many more farmers than in the past, and, with the industry leader’s popularity on the rise, the current number of more than 30,000 independent smallholders farming about 60,000 hectares of land in the plantations of the Jambi and Riau provinces is expected to double by the year 2020.
Best Community Program Award
Quite recently, at the 7th Annual Global CSR Summit, Asian Agri has received the prestigious Best Community Program Award, for their sustained efforts in alleviating poverty and improving opportunities for smallholders in Indonesia.
Aside from recognizing that the company’s involvement into the lives of smallholders has indeed yielded better quality produce in recent years, the real success of Asian Agri operations in the area was the improvement of the quality of life for farmers and their families. Smallholders are not the only ones with renewed hope for the future, since Asian Agri has also expanded its reach in other areas associated with community development and poverty alleviation.
With a philosophy that continues to pay off for the company, the community, and the country, Asian Agri never ceases to impress the world of business and industry through its bold and remarkable initiatives that continue to succeed against all odds.