Indah Kiat's wood

Indah Kiat's wood

I regret that your story headlined Severe wood shortage at Indah Kiat mill on page-9 in the March 24, 1995 issue had been written without rechecking the figures at our company.

The story misquoted me regarding the harvestable area of Indah Kiat's timber estates. I did not say during a hearing between PT Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper with Commission V of the House of Representatives that the area of timber estates ready for harvest totaled 30,000 hectares.

I did say that the annual work plan (covering land clearing, planting, tree tending and harvesting), proposed by Indah Kiat to the Forestry Ministry, totaled 30,000 ha. Assuming that one hectare yielded between 100 and 200 cubic meters or an average of 100 cubic meters a year the total area would produce three million cubic meters or about 80 percent of the wood inputs required by the Indah Kiat pulp mill. The remaining 20 percent would be procured from other local suppliers.

I projected that by the year 2002, the Indah Kiat pulp mill would be able to procure its wood inputs wholly from its timber estates.

NYAUW KWET MEEN

Director

PT Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper

Note: The Jakarta Post did try to contact the Indah Kiat office for comment and rechecking. But the connections seemed to be difficult and by 17:30 hours when the connection got through the telephone operator at the office said all Indah Kiat executives had gone.

-- Editor