Palm sustainability group imposes expansion ban on Golden Agri unit

Jakarta

A PALM oil industry body has ordered a unit of one of the world's major producers to stop buying or developing new plantations in Indonesia, in a dispute seen as a test case on expansion by agribusiness firms versus local land rights.

The subsidiary of Singapore-listed Golden Agri-Resources Ltd was ordered to stop buying or developing new plantation land by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) after it was found to have breached rules on land acquisition. Golden Agri-Resources is the parent of Indonesian palm company PT Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology, which has plantations spread over 473,000 hectare…