Governments, rural communities, land owners, foresters, farmers and investors in the sustainable resources industry now have clear guidelines on how business should be conducted to ensure all stakeholders related to forestry and agriculture assets can have their interests protected.
As a plantation management company and investor in sustainable resource projects, the guidelines offer us a benchmark of good business practices and corporate ethics that we aim not only to meet, but to surpass.
But the guidelines are not just about ensuring investors, seeking a return on their capital, treat the environment and rural communities fairly and with respect. The guidelines also acknowledge that to achieve food security for a growing global population and to provide a sustainable supply of agroforestry products, we need more private sector investment into the agriculture and forestry sectors. Legal and ethical investment whether it is in the form of acquiring or leasing land, and other contracts relating to the management, harvesting, and sale of agroforestry products should be protected. That protection, the guidelines state, should be enforceable under national and international law.
Only under a system of secure tenure rights can businesses and investors be encouraged to make responsible long-term investments in these resources, thus increasing sustainable agricultural production and generating higher incomes for poor rural communities.
Asia Plantation Capital commits to keeping our side of the bargain; to manage sustainable plantations, to train and pay our local plantation staff fairly, to conduct business with suppliers and customers ethically and at a fair price. We welcome the clarity the Committee on World Food Security has provided regarding the guidelines. This clarity and endorsement can only help encourage investment into the agriculture and forestry sectors and we confidently look forward to expanding our business further across Asia and Africa in the months and years ahead
For more information on Asia Plantation Capital and our portfolio of plantations please contact:
Mike Young, CFA
Fund Advisor & Senior Analyst
Asia Plantation Capital
Email: Michael.Young@
Tel Office: +44 (0) 20 3239 2215
Tel Mobile: +44 (0 7851 478539
UN FAO / CFS Sources: http://www.fao.org/
http://www.fao.org/
