PT Narkata Timber joins PT Suka Jaya Makmur as the first two concessions to achieve FSC certification under ‘The Borneo Initiative’ certification support program.
The successful certification of PT Suka Jaya Makmur (SJM) on June 30th, 2011, was a noteworthy achievement for both the company, The Borneo Initiative (TBI) who provided funding support, and the Tropical Forest Foundation (TFF) who has been a long-standing provider of technical and management support for SJM.
Perhaps it is true that “success breeds success” as on August 16, 2011, PT Narkata Rimba (NR) was the second forest concession to achieve full FSC certification under the tutelage of Control Union Certifications. The Tropical Forest Foundation congratulates the management and staff of NR on their success and takes some measure of pride from the fact that NR is the recipient of technical guidance from TFF under The Borneo Initiative certification support program.
PT Narkata Timber
PT Narkata TimberThe original concession license for NT was issued to the Alas Kusuma Group in 1989 for a total of 68,000 ha. In 2008, the Ministry of Forests proposed a land swap in order to create a orang-utan rehabilitation concession in northern part of the former NR area and in the process, reducing the effective concession area to 41,540 ha.
In April 2009, the Alas Kusuma Group sold NR to Integroup (http://integroup-indonesia.com), an integrated wood processing company with its main factories located at Sidoarjo outside Surabaya, East Java.
Currently most logs from NT are sold to outside buyers but Integroup is expanding its manufacturing facility. Most of the corporate group’s manufacturing is currently orientated towards finished or ‘knock down’ indoor and garden furniture. The new, FSC production line will directly address the European demand for FSC certified housing components and moulding products.
TFF has had a long-standing relationship with NT dating back when it was under the ownership of the Alas Kusuma Group. Currently, TFF represents NT to TBI as chief technical advisor under the certification support program.
PT Suka Jaya Makmur
On 30, 2011, Control Union Certifications issued the FSC certificate for sustainable forest management and chain-of-custody to PT Suka Jaya Makmur (SJM). SJM first signed an MOU with TFF in late 2002 and has been a recipient of TFF technical assistance since then.
SJM is a member of the Alas Kusuma group and is located in the District of Ketapang in West Kalimantan province. Alas Kusuma’s strong commitment to sustainable forest management resulted in the formation of a partnership with TFF in early 2000. Initially this collaboration focused on RIL training for the concession of PT Sari Bumi Kusuma (SBK). With continued TFF involvement and guidance, this led to the FSC certification of SBK in 2006.
PT Suka Jaya Makmur - Scoping TeamSJM has been the recipient of an exceptional amount of external assistance which has contributed to its recent success. In 2003, TFF conducted RIL training and research in SJM and was able to demonstrate the feasibility of forest-market linking with the establishment of a legality and CoC audit and the delivery of the first shipment of “RIL Verified” plywood to Norfolk, Virginia for sale to Home Depot and Lowes.
The next major external input came in the form of an ITTO grant to the TFF-SJM partnership under ITTO’s ‘Civil Society-Private Sector Partnership Program. Achievements under this funding support move SJM within sight of full certification.
However, it was SJM’s acceptance under The Borneo Initiative certification support program in January 2010, that assured continued technical support by TFF and other organizations, to complete the course and achieve full certification.
Other organizations willingly contributed their expertise to further their specific agendas and at the same time, assist SJM in achieving FSC certification. These included:
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and F&F International which used SJM as a training ground for implementation of the newly revised HCVF toolkit for Indonesia.
The Orangutan Conservation Support Program (OCSP) which used SJM to develop a model conservation management and monitoring plan.
WWF with furthered its understanding of orang-utan populations by conducting a comprehensive orang-utan census and habitat assessment in the SJM concession.
TFFs continued support and guidance throughout these inputs, has provided the continuity and cohesion necessary to achieve FSC certification. TFF congratulates SJM on its remarkable accomplishment and looks forward to a continuing, mutually beneficial collaboration.
