We have a positive impact on 22,000 people in the region. We provide 1,800 jobs, all formal. But we also benefit our suppliers and the 23 nearby communities.

PUCALLPA, UCAYALI, PERU, January 18, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In an interview with one of the main newspapers in Perú, Michael Spoor, CEO of Ocho Sur highlighted the economic relevance of the Company in the Ucayali region. Below the translation of part 2 of the interview.

PRIOR CONSULTATION AND OEFA

Is it true that the Ocho Sur mill was built without carrying out a prior consultation process, as indicated by a local media?
I’m not an expert on the matter, but I understand that prior consultation is a government duty. This complaint refers to the community of Santa Clara de Uchunya, which is located seven kilometers away from the plant, on the other side of the Aguaytía River. We have an excellent relationship with that community, but there are certain NGOs that try to fabricate conflicts between the company and the population only for the NGOs benefit. On the other hand, there is a report from the Ministry of Culture of Perú that indicates that this community is not located in the area of direct or indirect influence of the mill.

Didn't the mill need prior consultation then?"
What our legal advisers have told us is that prior consultation is carried out when there is a direct impact on native communities. Santa Clara de Uchunya does not have any interaction with our mill, but the communities that are part of our area of influence have indeed gone through a process of citizen participation before we started the construction of the mill.

We also see that Oefa started a sanctioning process against Ocho Sur for affecting forest soils. Why the fine?
That was an OEFA audit, promoted by a well-known NGO in Peru that constantly releases false complaints against our company. As a result, OEFA made certain observations, one of them was that we did not have an environmental authorization to operate, and other indicating that there was impact on forest type soils. But then they realized that we do have the permits to operate, so they annulled that first fine.

And the second fine?
We also went to reconsideration. We appealed to the OEFA tribunal, and they agreed with us, which is why it was clear that the company does not generate any type of impact on forest soils. Both issues were resolved, but the damage on our reputation was done, as was the intention of the NGO’s complaints.

This means that the company was not fined in the end?
Yes. No fines, zero. Everything was annulled. And these two issues, which were widely publicized by the media related to NGOs, were annulled and the judgement was one hundred percent in favor of the company.

Worldwide the palm industry has many complaints. Not only in Peru?
Unfortunately, the industry has a stain from what happened in Indonesia, where large extensions of tropical forests were cut down to grow palm. But that was a state decision to benefit the population so they could live from it. However, the stigma remained globally, and local NGOs use that to demonize the palm industry here in Peru, which is very small.

What measures has Ocho Sur taken to avoid repeating the Indonesian case and not devastate the environment?
First of all, our growth is based on the productivity of our farms. We are not expanding crops and we take great care of the fauna and flora around us. Second, we are very active at union levels with the National Federation of Oil Palm Growers (Fedepalma) and the National Oil Palm Board (Junpalma). The idea is to obtain a clear land-use map in Ucayali and the jungle to solve the threat of migratory agriculture and small settlers, who invade the Amazon Forest and burn everything to plant or graze their livestock. It is something against which nobody is doing anything because the concern of the NGOs is the palm and Ocho Sur which are not the problem, nothing else.

How many people are part of the Ocho Sur chain?
We have a positive impact on 22,000 people in the region. We provide 1,800 jobs, all formal. But we also benefit our suppliers and the 23 nearby communities. One of our main concerns is the growth of the illegal coca leaf, but we believe that for this region the palm oil is the most powerful tool against it.

SOURCE: DIA 1 – EL COMERCIO. January 11th, 2022

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