FGV Annual Report 2020

We also ensure agrochemicals are applied only by trained personnel under strict supervision and in accordance with national laws and regulations. Workers handling agrochemicals are required to wear PPE and undergo annual medical surveillance, which are covered by FGV. We value the safety and well-being of all our workers and conduct regular internal safety audits to ensure they comply with these safety measures. As part of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategy, we use barn owl (Tyto alba) as a biological control to manage the rat population in our estates. In 2020, we have introduced barn owls at our estates in Sabah which is not native there. With more areas coming into biological control with barn owls, the use of rodenticide is reduced significantly, reflecting our cost-effective operation strategy. FGV promotes the use of organic and inorganic fertiliser to improve palm growth while maintaining optimum yields. FGV ensures minimum impact to the environment by judicious use of fertiliser determined through scientific approach using foliar and soil analysis results. Site yield potential is also considered in determining the right amount of fertiliser to be applied in a certain year. Organic fertiliser is in the form of palm residues such as oil palm fronds, empty fruit bunches (EFB) compose and POME. We also ensure that fertilisers used in our plantations have a minimum impact on the environment. They take into consideration the leaf and soil nutrient status, palm age and potential yield versus the expected yield for a particular year. Some palm waste have been composted to become organic fertilisers. PROTECTING HIGH BIODIVERSITY VALUE (HBV)/HIGH CONSERVATION VALUE (HCV) AREAS FGV gives priority to conserving biodiversity, especially in plantations located in close proximity to natural forest reserves or conservation areas that are habitat to endangered, rare and threatened (ERT) species. FGV pledges to carry out conservation initiatives for the continuous protection of the natural ecosystem and its services. In line with our GSP, we ensure our new developments do not encroach into environmentally sensitive area, HBV/HCV areas. Wherever possible, we plant beneficial plants to attract natural predators of insect pets in our plantations. About 50% of our plantation are situated in hilly terrain and 5% of the land bank is in gazetted areas. Naturally, these areas contain some HBV/ HCV elements that need to be preserved. We have conducted HBV/HCV assessment in these areas and developed management plans to maintain and enhance the identified values. We repeat such assessment once in every five (5) years. As of 2020, we have identified a total of 12,180.61 ha within our land boundaries in Peninsula Malaysia, Sabah & Sarawak and Indonesia. The total HBV/HCV area managed by location is presented on the following page. 153 Who We Are How We Operate How We Are Governed Additional Information Sustainability Matters Statement & Discussion By Our Leaders