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Fima CORPORATION Berhad

(197401004110) (21185-P) •

Annual Report 2020

51

Environment

We acknowledge that managing the Group’s environmental

impacts through sustainable practices is a moral and social

imperative as well as an economic necessity. Efficient management

of resources will not only limit our carbon footprint, but it can also

lead to significant operational and financial benefits to the Group

as a whole. The Group’s Environmental Policy which prescribes

our approach and commitment to managing our environmental

footprint across our business includes the following objectives:

to comply with all relevant environmental regulations, legal

criteria, guidelines and codes of conduct specific to our

operations;

create environmental knowledge around the Group by

successful collaboration, training and sharing of practices;

continuously evaluate and track the environmental

implications of all of our corporate practices and enforce

effective environmental protection strategies;

enable the protection of biodiversity and natural areas

situated around or within our operating locations;

encourage the efficient use of natural resources, particularly

energy and water, to reduce the emission intensity of our

operations and supply chains;

minimises the production of raw material waste and

eliminates, reuse or recycling of industrial waste where

possible;

participate with local communities and other stakeholders to

resolve any environmental issues;

ensure that our suppliers or vendors recognise our

commitment to environmental protection and, where

necessary and realistic, allow them to include the required

performance reports as requested; and

continuously encourage and actively support zero burning

programs in our plantation operation.

Our key priorities to live up to this include:

Sustainable Agricultural Practices

Conservation areas

Within our estates, areas alongside river banks (riparian reserves)

are set aside as conservation areas wildlife corridors which include,

among others, sanctuaries for migratory birds and habitat for

jungle flora and fauna.

Soil Management

We adopt best agricultural practices, planting cover crops

such as Mucuna Bracteata, Calopogonium Mucunoides and

Calopogonium Coeruleum, alone or in combination, to boost

surface properties and minimise carbon dioxide emissions. Vetiver

grass is a deep-rooted grass noted for its strong resistance of heavy

metals, phosphates, nitrates and agricultural chemicals. It has

been cultivated in wetlands, bundles and field drain to reduce

deforestation and avoid landslides. Also, no planting is carried out

in steep regions, i.e. those with a slope of more than 20 degrees.

Another method in soil and slope management is the planting

of Mucuna Bracteata, which is an Indian leguminous plant. We

are highly successful in reducing soil erosion and improving soil

quality by natural soil fertilisation and aeration process. The

nitrogen-regulating properties help maintain soil temperatures

down during hot seasons. We value its fast-growing characteristics

that allow rapid ground cover and help suppress weed growth.

Lastly, our estate has carried into practice sustainable land

applications that are aligned with our zero-waste approach. The

FFB which has been harvested and sent to the mill for processing

will end up as Empty Fruit Bunch (“EFB”) that is used by applying

directly to the field. In addition, compost can be produced from a

mixture of shredded EFB and Palm Oil Mill Effluent (“POME”) which

is subsequently added to the plot.