PETALING JAYA: SD Guthrie Bhd
has categorically denied reports alleging that its subsidiaries or employees caused forest and land fires in Indonesia.
In a statement on its website, the group said it takes fire incidents seriously because of its impact on communities.
“The allegations against SD Guthrie are not supported by credible evidence and do not reflect the facts established through the group’s latest ground checks which confirms no active fires in any of its estates in Indonesia.
“SD Guthrie also found no evidence that its subsidiaries or employees started the fires.”
SD Guthrie did not specify which report it was responding to.
It went on to say that some of the companies mentioned in public reports as affiliates of SD Guthrie are “not owned, managed or controlled by the group.” “Any outdated or incorrect attribution to SD Guthrie should be corrected, as it is misleading.”
SD Guthrie said it has maintained a strict zero-burning policy across all its operations since 1985 and also upholds a “No Deforestation, No Peat and No Exploitation” commitment.
“The group’s fire-prevention measures include real-time monitoring of water levels, water-table monitoring in peatland areas, measures to maintain appropriate moisture levels, community fire-prevention programmes, and training for smallholders and local farmers on responsible land management.”
SD Guthrie emphasised that when a fire is detected within or near its operational boundaries, the group’s operations would respond immediately, regardless of its source.
“SD Guthrie’s Indonesian subsidiary, Minamas Plantation, has 67 firefighting teams comprising 1,005 trained personnel. Their work is supported by drone and infrared monitoring across its plantation concession area and approximately 322,000 hectares of surrounding community land.
“The group spends an estimated 3.5 billion rupiah (RM800,000) each month to maintain and deploy these resources. SD Guthrie, through its Indonesian subsidiaries, works with the authorities to tackle forest and land fires beyond the group’s concession areas.”
The group noted that between January and September 2026, its teams responded to and extinguished 2,411 fires.
“Of these, 2,376 were on community land. Their response to fires beyond SD Guthrie’s concession area should not be taken as evidence that the group caused them.
“Fires which happen within SD Guthrie’s concession area are detected early with action taken immediately to extinguish them.”
SD Guthrie also noted that the reports also appear to rely on outdated Hak Guna Usaha maps that do not reflect current ownership or operational boundaries.
“They also overlook a basic operational fact: the palms in the areas concerned are productive and relatively young, rather than mature palms due for clearing.
“There would therefore be no operational rationale for burning them for land clearing, and their age profile is wholly inconsistent with any suggestion that the group deliberately started the fires.”
SD Guthrie said it will continue to work with the relevant Indonesian authorities and stakeholders.
“The group calls for any inaccurate data or ownership attribution to be corrected and for allegations to be supported by credible evidence.
“SD Guthrie remains open to constructive engagement with relevant stakeholders towards the shared objective of preventing fires and protecting communities and the environment.”
