Indonesia: Pulp and paper companies allowed to continue trashing forests

The Indonesian Ministry of Forestry has allowed pulp and paper companies to use wood from native forests. “It is not impossible for the policy for pulp and paper industries to use wood from natural forests to be extended,” Anatara News reports Indonesia’s Forestry Minister MS Kaban as saying.

APRIL sacks workers

APRIL is to lay off one thousand workers from its Kerinci pulp and paper mill in Riau province and will “temporarily” lay off another one thousand, according to RISI.

Firm paid billions for illegal logs: Witness

Jakarta Post 14 June 2006:

PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP) paid at least Rp 6.4 billion (US$684,800) to exploit forests using illegal permits issued by Pelalawan Regent Tengku Azmun Jaafar, a court heard Friday.

APP and APRIL still cannot legally supply their pulp mills

During 2007, Indonesian police clamped down on illegal logging. As a result, the Indonesia Pulp and Paper Association says, pulp production in 2008 may be forced to decrease by 75 per cent – giving a good indication of exactly how much the industry relies on illegal logging.

Pulp imports to China

In the first six months of 2006, China imported 3.28 million tonnes of pulp. In 2004, China overtook the USA as the biggest importer of pulp. China has long been the biggest importer of waste paper, importing 16 million tonnes in 2005.