Martua sitorus biography definition

Singaporean food processing company

Wilmar International Limited (simplified Chinese: 丰益国际; traditional Chinese: 豐益國際; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hong-ek Kok-chè) is a Singaporeanfood processing and investmentholding company with more than 300 subsidiary companies. Founded in 1991, it is one of Asia's leading agribusiness groups alongside the COFCO Group. It ranks amongst the largest listed companies by market capitalisation on the Singapore Exchange (SGX), being the second largest as of September 2010. It was ranked 211th in the Fortune Global 500 list in 2020. It was ranked 3rd in the World's Most Admired Company (Food Production) by Fortune in 2019.

Wilmar International business activities include oil palm cultivation, edible oils refining, oilseeds crushing, consumer pack edible oils processing and merchandising, specialty fats, oleochemicals, and biodiesel manufacturing, grains processing and merchandising, and sugar milling and refining. In 2021, Wilmar placed 2nd on FoodTalks' Global Top 30 Specialty Oil Companies list. It has over 500 manufacturing plants and an extensive distribution network covering China, Indonesia, India and some 50 other countries. The group employs a multinational workforce of more than 100,000 people.

Wilmar's merchandising and processing segment encompasses merchandising of palm oil and laurics-related products, operations of palm oil processing and refinery plants and crushing, further processing and refining of a range of edible oils, oilseeds, grains and soybean. Its consumer products include edible oils, rice, flour and noodles in China, Indonesia, Vietnam and India. Its plantation and palm oil mills segment engages in oil palm cultivation and milling.

Wilmar has come under criticism for its exploitation of child labour and slave labour, as well as

According to Sawit Watch - an NGO focuses on policy reforms to protect high conservation forest and the community from oil palm plantations expansion - the total area of oil palm plantations reached 22.3 million hectares (ha) in 2020, 30% of which are owned by farmers. In the same year, the total export value for palm oil in October 2020 reached US$ 15.95 billion or IDR 225.37 trillion, according to the Ministry of Trade. 

Until now, oil palm plantations are expanding to the eastern part of Indonesia, and require approximately 12 million hectares of energy plantations to meet 50 million tons of Crude Palm Oil (CPO). With a high production volume, Indonesia will likely not need to import palm oil within the next 15 years.

However, its irresponsible palm oil production has caused widespread rainforest destruction and wildlife loss, exacerbated climate change and impacted the rights of local communities, according to environmental group WWF.

Who are behind the country’s massive oil palm plantations?

PT Triputra Agro Persada (TAPG)

PT Triputra Agro Persada (TAPG) was established in 2005. It focuses on processing palm oil through its subsidiaries and associated companies as well as rubber plantations. In recent efforts, the company has invested in expanding its business activities in other plantation companies such as investments, joint ventures and company acquisitions. 

TAPG has committed to produce high-quality CPOs and palm kernel products to supply domestic and international markets. Its products are based on green plantations to contribute positively to the world economy and social environment. 

The company has committed to comply with the government regulations in following standards and certifications to be recognized nationally and internationally through Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) and Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Currently, the company's palm oil mills have been certified accord

By Michael Gerhardt
The German version of this post can be found here.This article was published as well on The Ecologist , World Rainforest Movement Bulletin , Redd Monitor,World Nutrition and Robin Wood Blog .

It sounds like a fairy tale. Multinational companies destroy forests and trample on human rights. Then, international environmental organisations come into play and transform the culprits into responsible companies within just a few months. Multinational palm oil, pulp and paper companies such as Wilmar, Golden Agri, APRIL (Asia Pacific Resources International Limited) or APP (Asia Pulp and Paper) have already completed the magic metamorphosis from destroyers to protectors of the Indonesian rainforest. All of these companies now sport a “zero deforestation policy”. Similar promises have also been made by consumer goods giants like Nestle, Unilever, Mars, L’Oreal, Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive, who require palm oil as a raw material for their products.

Greenpeace, WWF and Co. appear to have success in what Indonesian environmental groups have been struggling to achieve for years, that is persuading notorious rainforest destroyers to make improvements. The scripts of these stories all resemble each other: Initially, a large company group is forced to the negotiating table by a major campaign in North America or Europe. Negotiations are tough but usually lead to a happy end: The company publically announces it will do better and is applauded by the organisations involved in the campaign, who are proud of their achievement. The realisation of agreed targets is left to a consulting organisation, such as the Tropical Forest Trust.

Beyond the success portrayed in press releases by the companies and NGOs concerned, critical voices can be heard: What is a no-deforestation promise really worth?

For company groups such as APP these deals have come just at the right time. APP has taken over enough land to establish sufficient acacia plantation

Indonesian businessman and palm oil magnate

Martua Sitorus (born as Thio Seng Hap, 1960) is an Indonesian businessman and palm oil magnate. He was once known as the fourth richest person in Indonesia (and #377 in the world), but had decreased to fifteenth by December 2018, according to Forbes. He and his business partner, Kuok Khoon Hong founded the Singapore-based Wilmar International, the largest palm oil producer in the world.

Wilmar's business activities include oil palm cultivation, oilseeds crushing, edible oils refining, sugar milling and refining, specialty fats, oleochemicals, biodiesel and fertilizers manufacturing and grains processing. It has over 300 manufacturing plants and an extensive distribution network covering China, India, Indonesia, United States and some 50 other countries.

Personal life

Martua was born in Pematang Siantar, a town located in North Sumatra, Indonesia. After finishing high school, he continued to the University of HKBP Nomensen, Medan which was the largest city in North Sumatra, to finish his economic degrees. During his teenage years, Martua traded fish; when grown up he started his business as a palm oil and mesocarp trader.

Career

Wilmar International

Martua along with Kuok Khoon Hong, the nephew of Malaysia's richest tycoon Robert Kuok, founded Wilmar International Limited and by 1991 he owned 7.100 hectare of palm tree plantations, and also built his own palm oil refinery in North Sumatra. The Wilmar International business has grown rapidly; by 2013 Wilmar owns more than 50 other companies wit