PETALING JAYA — SD Guthrie Bhd has denied allegations that its subsidiaries or employees caused forest and land fires in Indonesia, saying its latest ground checks found no active fires at any of its estates in the country.
In a statement today, the group said the allegations were not supported by credible evidence and that it had found no evidence linking its subsidiaries or employees to the fires.
Guthrie also clarified that some companies identified in public reports as its affiliates were not owned, managed or controlled by the group, adding that any outdated or inaccurate ownership attribution should be corrected.
The group said it had maintained a strict Zero-Burning Policy across its operations since 1985 and upheld commitments to No Deforestation, No Peat and No Exploitation.
Its fire-prevention measures include real-time water-level monitoring, peatland water-table monitoring, measures to maintain appropriate moisture levels, community fire-prevention programmes and training for smallholders and local farmers in responsible land management.
Guthrie said its Indonesian subsidiary, Minamas Plantation, had 67 firefighting teams comprising 1,005 trained personnel, supported by drone and infrared monitoring across its plantation concession areas and about 322,000 hectares of surrounding community land.
The group spends an estimated 3.5 billion rupiah (RM800,000) monthly to maintain and deploy these resources, while working with Indonesian authorities to tackle forest and land fires beyond its concession areas.
Between January and September 2026, its firefighting teams responded to and extinguished 2,411 fires, of which 2,376 occurred on community land.
Guthrie stressed that its teams’ response to fires outside its concession areas should not be interpreted as evidence that the group caused them. Fires detected within its concession areas were addressed promptly, it said.
The group also questioned the accuracy of reports that allegedly relied on outdated Hak Guna Usaha (HGU) land-use maps that did not reflect current ownership or operational boundaries.
It added that the oil palms in the areas concerned were productive and relatively young, rather than mature palms due for clearing, arguing that their age profile was inconsistent with allegations that the group had deliberately started fires for land clearing.
Guthrie said it would continue working with Indonesian authorities and stakeholders to prevent fires and protect communities and the environment, while calling for inaccurate data and ownership claims to be corrected and allegations to be supported by credible evidence.
