Astra Agro suspends operation in Aceh

Astra Agro suspends operation in Aceh

JAKARTA: PT Astra Agro Lestari, Indonesia's biggest agricultural company by value, suspended operation of its unit in Aceh province after an earthquake off Sumatra island and the resulting tsunamis damaged roads.

The roads linked the company's 4,500 hectares (11,000 acres) of oil palm plantations near Meulaboh in West Aceh to the nearest port, Tjahyo Dwi Ariantono, Astra Agro's head of investor relation, said in a phone interview from Medan in North Sumatra.

"The plantation itself is fine but the roads are completely damaged," Ariantono said. "Besides, our facility is now housing refugees from nearby areas and we decided to focus on relief efforts."

The effect on the Jakarta-based company's total output "should be small," he said, without giving details. --Bloomberg