Guthrie Rejects Fire Allegations, Says No Active Fires At Its Indonesian Estates

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Guthrie has denied reports alleging that its subsidiaries or employees caused forest and land fires in Indonesia.

Guthrie, formerly known as Sime Darby Plantation, is one of the world’s largest producers of certified sustainable palm oil.

In a statement on Tuesday (20 October), the group said its latest ground checks confirmed no active fires in any of its estates in Indonesia.

It also said it found no evidence that its subsidiaries or employees started the fires.

Guthrie said the allegations are not supported by credible evidence.

Some Reported Companies Not Owned By Guthrie

The group said some companies named in public reports as its affiliates are not owned, managed or controlled by it.

It called for any outdated or incorrect attribution to be corrected, as it is misleading.

Guthrie also said the reports appear to rely on outdated Hak Guna Usaha (HGU) maps that do not reflect current ownership or operational boundaries.

According to Guthrie, the palms in the areas concerned are productive and relatively young, not mature palms due for clearing.

It said there would be no operational reason to burn them for land clearing. The group added that their age profile is inconsistent with any suggestion that it deliberately started the fires.

67 Firefighting Teams Deployed

Guthrie said it has kept a Zero-Burning Policy across all its operations since 1985. It also upholds a No Deforestation, No Peat and No Exploitation commitment.

Its 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

Training for smallholders and local farmers on responsible land management

Its Indonesian subsidiary, Minamas Plantation, has 67 firefighting teams with 1,005 trained personnel.

They are supported by drone and infrared monitoring across its concession area and about 322,000 hectares of surrounding community land.

Guthrie said it spends an estimated IDR3.5 billion (RM800,000) each month to maintain and deploy these resources.

2,411 Fires Extinguished

From January to September 2026, the teams responded to and extinguished 2,411 fires, Guthrie said.

Of these, 2,376 were on community land.

The group said its response to fires beyond its concession area should not be taken as evidence that it caused them.

It added that fires within its concession area are detected early and extinguished immediately.

Guthrie said it will continue working with the relevant Indonesian authorities and stakeholders.

It called for any inaccurate data or ownership attribution to be corrected, and for allegations to be supported by credible evidence.

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